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
Cladocoryne floccosa
Rotch, 1871
Fig. 43
See Schuchert (2006) for a complete synonymy.
Material examined.
HCUS-S 0 48 (Hydrozoa Collection, University of Salento—fauna of the Salento Peninsula).
Description
(based on our own observations;
Brinckmann-Voss 1970
; Schuchert 2006, 2012):
Hydroid.
hydrorhizae as creeping stolons; colonies stolonal or rarely erect; hydrocaulus sparingly branched, covered by perisarc, smooth or with several groups of annulations; hydranth naked, oval areas of microbasic eurytele cnidocysts on the hydranth; with 4–6 short capitate tentacles in one oral whorl and 1–4 whorls of branched capitate aboral tentacles. Gonophores as fixed sporosacs, cryptomedusoids, spherical to oblong, borne on short pedicels, between or over aboral tentacles, 2–8 on each hydranth, females usually with one egg only. Colours: perisarc yellowish to transparent; hydranth light reddish brown in colour but with conspicuous white pigment on oral region; female gonophores white.
Cnidome.
Stenoteles and macrobasic euryteles.
Habitat
type
.
Littoral, from the tidal level (
Boero & Fresi 1986
) to
50 m
depth (
Brinckmann-Voss 1970
; Schuchert 2006).
Substrate.
Algae, hydroids, sponges, bryozoans and rocks,
Posidonia oceanica
, and polychaete tubes.
Seasonality.
In the Mediterranean Sea,
C. floccosa
occurs from January to December (
Boero & Fresi 1986
; De Vito 2006; this study), March–May, November–December (Puce
et al
. 2009).
Reproductive period.
Fertile colonies occur from April to July (
Boero & Fresi 1986
; Bouillon
et al
. 2004; De Vito 2006; this study).
Distribution.
Temperate and tropical waters around the world (
Motz-Kossowska 1905
;
Teissier 1965
;
Brinckmann-Voss 1970
;
Millard & Bouillon 1974
; Hirohito 1988;
Piraino & Morri 1990
; Medel & López- González 1996;
Schuchert 1996
, 2006; Morri & Bianchi 1999;
Piraino
et al.
1999
;
Watson 1999
;
Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa 2002
; Calder
et al.
2003; Bouillon
et al.
2004;
Gravili
et al.
2008a
; Puce
et al.
2009).
FIGURE 43.
Cladocoryne floccosa
: hydranth (drawn by C.G. Di Camillo). Scale bar: 0.5 mm.
Records in Salento.
Common at: Torre dell’Inserraglio (
Presicce 1991
); La Strea (Porto Cesareo) (
Faucci & Boero 2000
); Otranto (
Miglietta
et al
. 2000
; De Vito 2006; Gravili 2006;
Gravili
et al.
2008a
; this study).
Remarks.
Fertile animals often exhibit ‘reproductive exhaustion’, with reduced tentacles, sometimes leading to tentacleless hydranths (for more details see Schuchert 2006).
References:
Lo Bianco (1899)
,
Motz-Kossowska (1905)
,
Picard (1958a)
,
Brinckmann-Voss (1970)
,
Rossi (1971)
,
Sarà
et al.
(1978)
,
Boero (1981a
,
b
),
Boero & Fresi (1986)
, Gili (1986),
García-Rubies (1987)
,
Piraino & Morri (1990)
,
Roca
et al.
(1991)
, Altuna (1994),
Medel & López-González (1996)
,
Migotto (1996)
, Morri & Bianchi (1999),
Piraino
et al.
(1999)
,
Faucci & Boero (2000)
,
Miglietta
et al.
(2000)
;
Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa (2002)
as
C. flocosa
; Bouillon
et al.
(2004), De Vito (2006), Gravili (2006), Schuchert (2006, 2012),
Gravili
et al.
(2008a)
, Puce
et al.
(2009).