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
Rhizorhagium arenosum
(Alder, 1862)
Fig. 8
See Schuchert (2007) for a complete synonymy.
Material examined.
HCUS-S 0 0 8 (Hydrozoa Collection, University of Salento—fauna of the Salento Peninsula).
Description
(based on our own observations;
Hincks 1868
; Schuchert 2007, 2012):
Hydroid.
Hydrorhiza as creeping ramified stolons covered by perisarc; colony stolonal; hydrocaulus monosiphonic, short, perisarc generally covered with minute sand grains or mud; hydranth fusiform, covered by a pseudohydrotheca not enveloping tentacles; hypostome nipple-shaped, with one distal whorl of 6–12 long, slender, amphicoronate, filiform tentacles. Gonophores as fixed sporosacs, pyriform, 1–2 per hydrocaulus, on short pedicels on lower half of hydrocaulus. Female sporosacs oblong, covered by filmy perisarc, mature ones with many eggs (>30), embryonic development takes place in a gelatinous mass (acrocyst) to the planula stage. Male sporosacs similar to female ones. Colour: milky white.
Cnidome.
Desmonemes and microbasic euryteles.
Habitat
type
.
Intertidal (see Schuchert 2007, 2012), here found in the subtidal.
Substrate.
Algae, stones and other substrates.
Seasonality.
November in Salento waters (De Vito 2006; this study).
Reproductive period.
In northwestern European waters (
Schuchert 2012
), reproductive colonies occur from early summer to autumn.
Distribution.
Atlantic, Mediterranean (see Bouillon
et al.
2004; Schuchert 2007;
Gravili
et al
. 2008a
).
Records in Salento.
Rare in the following localities: Grotta del Ciolo (Denitto
et al
. 2007); Otranto (De Vito 2006; Gravili 2006;
Gravili
et al
. 2008a
; this study).
Remarks.
Schuchert (2004
, 2007) considers the Mediterranean record of this species by
Lo Bianco (1909)
as a misidentification of
Pachycordyle pusilla
(
Motz-Kossowska 1905
)
.
References.
Hincks (1868)
,
Berrill (1948)
,
Picard (1958a)
,
Riedl (1959)
, Bouillon
et al.
(2004),
Schuchert (2004
, 2007, 2012), De Vito (2006), Gravili (2006), Denitto
et al.
(2007).
Gravili
et al
. (2008a)
.