Plumatella trasimenica and Plumatella timwoodi, two new species belonging to the 'repens group' from central Italy (Bryozoa : Phylactolaemata : Plumatellidae)

Abstract

Two new species – Plumatella trasimenica, from Lake Trasimeno and from an external sedimentation pond of a tropical fish farm, and Plumatella timwoodi, from Lake Piediluco – are described. These species belong to the ‘repens group’ (P. bushnelli Wood, 2001; P. geimermassardi Wood & Okamura, 2004; P. nitens Wood, 1996; P. repens (Linné, 1758); P. rugosa Wood, Geimer & Massard, 1998; P. similirepens Wood, 2001; P. viganoi Taticchi, 2010), because the annulus-chamber pores of the floatoblast are always characterised by the presence of long spines regularly distributed around the pores. Here, further morphological features, which distinguish them from the other species of the repens group, are described for both new species. The coexistence in the same sampling sites of species of the repens-group indicates that the new species are not ecomorphs of similar species.