The non-Siphonophoran Hydrozoa (Cnidaria) of Salento, Italy with notes on their life-cycles: an illustrated guide
Author
Gravili, Cinzia
Author
Vito, Doris De
Author
Camillo, Cristina Gioia Di
Author
Martell, Luis
Author
Piraino, Stefano
Author
Boero, Ferdinando
text
Zootaxa
2015
3908
1
1
187
journal article
42365
10.11646/zootaxa.3908.1.1
6f1d1977-6b97-4789-828c-76ed250cf1ae
1175-5326
242729
D6AD2B49-170B-4D9C-84AA-DBE0FEEAD8BE
Filellum serpens
(Hassall, 1848)
Fig. 80
A–C
See
Schuchert (2001a)
for a complete synonymy.
Material examined.
HCUS-S 0 87 and HCUS-S 0 88 (Hydrozoa Collection, University of Salento—fauna of the Salento Peninsula).
Description
(based on our own observations;
Schuchert 2001a
):
Hydroid.
Hydrorhiza as irregularly branched stolons; colonies stolonal; hydranths with conical hypostome; with 8–12 amphicoronate tentacles; hydrothecae tubular, at irregular intervals, sessile, basal part (1/4–2/3) adnate to hydrorhiza, distal part curving upwards from the stolons, adnate portion smooth, rim even, usually everted, several hydrothecal renovations frequent. Colonies hermaphroditic. Gonothecae as fixed sporosacs, clustered into coppiniae, with simple curved accessory tubes, between gonothecae, irregularly shaped, not branching, either curving horizontally in middle and overarching gonothecae like dense canopy or nearly straight, giving coppinia a spiny appearance; embryos develop in acrocysts.
Cnidome.
Microbasic mastigophores.
Habitat
type
.
Coastal waters on hard bottom (depth range: 0.5–
50 m
) (
Boero & Fresi 1986
;
Schuchert 2001a
;
Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa 2002
).
Substrate.
Mostly on other hydroids,
Posidonia
, algae, bryozoans, sponges.
Seasonality.
August (
Stechow 1919
); August–April (
Boero & Fresi 1986
); January–December (Llobet i Nidal 1987;
Llobet
et al
. 1991
; De Vito 2006; this study) in the Mediterranean Sea.
Reproductive period.
February (
Boero & Fresi 1986
) in the Ligurian Sea; September (De Vito 2006; this study) in Salento waters.
Distribution.
Cosmopolitan (
Medel & López-González 1996
;
Schuchert 2001a
;
Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa 2002
; Bouillon
et al.
2004;
Gravili
et al.
2008a
).
Records in Salento.
Common at: Torre dell'Inserraglio, S.ta Caterina (
Presicce 1991
); Otranto (De Vito 2006; Gravili 2006;
Gravili
et al.
2008a
; this study).
Remarks.
For a recent discussion of the genus and its species see Marques
et al.
(2011).
References:
Stechow (1919)
,
Broch (1933)
,
Picard (1951a
,
1958a
),
Rossi (1961)
,
Boero (1981a
,
b
),
Gili (1982
, 1986),
Boero & Fresi (1986)
,
Llobet
et al.
(1986
,
1991
), Llobet i Nidal (1987),
García-Carrascosa
et al.
(1987)
,
Roca
et al.
(1991)
,
Medel & López-González (1996)
,
Peña Cantero
et al.
(1998)
,
Schuchert (2001a)
,
Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa (2002)
, Bouillon
et al.
(2004), De Vito (2006), Gravili (2006),
Gravili
et al.
(2008a)
, Puce
et al.
(2009), Marques
et al.
(2011).