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 Acryptolaria conferta (Allman, 1877) Fig. 79 A–C See Schuchert (2001a) for a complete synonymy. Material examined. HCUS-S 0 86 (Hydrozoa Collection, University of Salento—fauna of the Salento Peninsula). Description (based on our own observations; Ramil & Vervoort 1992 as Acryptolaria conferta conferta ; Schuchert 2001a ): FIGURE 79. Acryptolaria conferta : A , colony, general view of heavy form; B , part of stem; C , coppinia with female gonothecae (A, C redrawn and modified after Millard 1975 by C.G. Di Camillo; B drawn by L. Basso). Scale bars: A, 5.0 cm; B, 0.5 mm; C, 1.0 mm. Hydroid. Hydrorhiza reptant, as a thick mass of stolons; colonies erect; hydrocauli polysiphonic basally, up to 4 cm in height, branched, axis and most part of branches and hydrocladia composed of numerous tubes longitudinally arranged and anastomosed with each other, monosiphonic parts with a sympodial structure, axis straight to geniculate; hydrothecae lateral, in the same plane and alternate, tubular, basal part merging into hydrocladia, distal part free and curved outwards, rim even and circular, hydrothecal renovations frequent. Gonothecae amphora-shaped, in coppiniae with several gonothecae, acrocyst present in female gonothecae. Cnidome. Microbasic mastigophores. Habitat type . Deep water species, recorded at depths ranging between 125–1400 m ( Schuchert 2001a ). Substrate. Shell, coral fragments, worm tubes, on hydroid Polyplumaria flabellata , and white corals. Seasonality. April, June, September (Bouillon et al . 2004; Moura 2011 ) in the western Mediterranean Sea; February, September (Mastrototaro et al . 2010). Reproductive period. Unknown in Salento; June in and around the Strait of Gibraltar (Ramil & Vervoort 1992) Distribution. Cosmopolitan (Ramil & Vervoort 1992; Medel & López-González 1996 ; Schuchert 2001a ; Bouillon et al . 2004). Records in Salento. In deep water, on white corals at S. Maria di Leuca (Mastrototaro et al . 2010). Remarks. The great variability of Acryptolaria conferta induced Ramil & Vervoort (1992) to propose the subspecies minor based in its small size and the lack of intermediate specimens linking it to larger specimens. Peña-Cantero et al. (2007) argued that this taxon has no clearly distinguishing features. References. Lo Bianco (1903 as Cryptolaria conferta ), Rossi (1950) , Picard (1958a) , Patriti (1970) , Marinopoulos (1981) , Roca (1986 , 1989 ), Templado et al. (1986) , Ramil & Vervoort (1992), Medel & López- González (1996), Bouillon et al. (2004), Mastrototaro et al . (2010).