Names of hydroids (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) established by Charles McLean Fraser (1872 - 1946), excluding those from Allan Hancock Expeditions
Author
Calder, Dale R.
Author
Choong, Henry H. C.
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-10-02
4487
1
1
83
journal article
29136
10.11646/zootaxa.4487.1.1
939f52d6-d58b-4a22-8aec-dd5c6a591067
1175-5326
1456161
524B23B9-8EAA-4BD6-8937-A1B8F1C057B9
Halecium fruticosum
Fraser, 1943a
Halecium fruticosum
Fraser, 1943a
: 77
, pl. 16, figs. 4a, b.
Holotype
.
MCZ-IZ 9012:
USA
,
North
Carolina
,
Cape Fear
,
Cape Fear River
, NNE
14 miles
(
23 km
) off
Bald Head Light
, 9 fm (
16 m
),
1868-1869
, one badly fragmented colony, in rather poor condition, without gonophores, coll.
L.F. de Pourtalès
, labelled “
type
”; formalin.
Type
locality.
USA
,
North
Carolina
:
Bald Head Lighthouse
, NNE
14 miles
(
23 km
) off
Cape Fear
(
Fraser 1943a
).
Current status.
Valid, but see Remarks below.
Remarks.
Fraser (1943a)
described and illustrated
Halecium fruticosum
, but provided no information as to its name-bearing
type
. The species was described in a collection sent to him for identification from the MCZ. A specimen at that museum (MCZ-IZ 9012), labelled “
type
”, is listed as a
holotype
in the MCZ online database.
No
other
type
material of the species was discovered during this study. In describing the species, Fraser reported that “…no complete colony [was] obtained…”, and no gonosomes were observed. On examination, the
type
of the species indeed comprises several fragments. However, all are considered parts of a single colony that we take to be the
holotype
by monotypy.
Although the
holotype
specimen is in rather poor condition, its trophosomal characters are still recognizable. The identity and affinities of the species will likely be apparent after more collecting is undertaken in the vicinity of the
type
locality, and after fertile specimens are discovered. Somewhat similar to
Halecium fruticosum
is a hydroid from the Beaufort area of
North
Carolina
, identified with question by
Fraser (1912c)
as
H. bermudense
Congdon, 1907
. His specimen was sterile, but an account was given of both female and male gonosomes from the original description of
Congdon (1907)
.
Calder & Hester (1978)
also reported
H. bermudense
from inshore waters of
South
Carolina
, based largely on the account of
Fraser (1912c)
. The occurrence of
H. bermudense
on the coast of the Carolinas needs to be confirmed.
Included as a valid species in
Cairns
et al
. (2002)
,
Halecium fruticosum
is currently listed as a
species inquirenda
in WoRMS. To date, the only published record of the species is the original account by
Fraser (1943a)
.