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
Coryne pusilla
Gaertner, 1774
Fig. 36
See
Schuchert (2001b)
for a complete synonymy.
Material examined.
HCUS-S 0 41 (Hydrozoa Collection, University of Salento—fauna of the Salento Peninsula).
Description
(based on our own observations;
Brinckmann-Voss 1970
;
Schuchert 2001b
, 2010, 2012):
Hydroid.
Hydrorhiza stolonal; colonies erect, up to
3 cm
high, rather broad and bushy; hydrocaulus branching several times, perisarc annulated throughout, annulations of branches irregular and broad; hydranth fusiform, sometimes covered at base by a perisarcal funnel-like dilatation; hypostome conical; with about 18–28 capitate tentacles, arranged in an oral whorl of 4–5 tentacles and scattered lower tentacles. Gonophores as fixed sporosacs, spherical to egg-shaped, borne in upper axils of the tentacles along lower 1/2 to 2/3 of hydranth, 1–3 per tentacle, without canal system, spadix present, mature female sporosacs with 15–
25
eggs. Colour: perisarc brown, hydranth red brown with white dots, mature male and female sporosacs white.
Cnidome.
Stenoteles.
Habitat
type
.
Intertidal species, few metres depth (
Brinckmann-Voss 1970
;
Boero & Fresi 1986
;
Schuchert 2001b
).
Substrate.
Algae,
Posidonia
,
hydroids and barnacles, also on man-made floating objects.
Seasonality.
In the western Mediterranean Sea (
Stechow 1919
;
Boero & Fresi 1986
;
Llobet
et al.
1991
),
Coryne pusilla
occurs from January to December (
Faucci & Boero 2000; this study
).
Reproductive period.
In the Ligurian Sea, fertile colonies occur in March and August (
Boero & Fresi 1986
).
Distribution.
Northeastern Atlantic; doubtful records from Indian Ocean and Pacific, Mediterranean (
Brinckmann-Voss 1970
;
Medel & López-González 1996
;
Schuchert 2001b
; Bouillon
et al.
2004;
Gravili
et al.
2008a
;
Soto Ãngel & Peña Cantero 2013
).
Records in Salento.
Rare at: La Strea, Porto Cesareo (
Presicce 1991
;
Faucci & Boero 2000
; this study); S.ta Caterina, Montagna Spaccata (
Presicce 1991
); Il Chiapparo (this study); Otranto (
De Vito 2002
; Gravili 2006;
Gravili
et al.
2008a
; this study).
Remarks.
In the Mediterranean Sea no unambiguous identifications of the species
C. pusilla
are known and, probably, the Mediterranean records of
C. pusilla
are either referable to
C. muscoides
or
C. pintneri
lacking filiform tentacles (for more details see
Schuchert, 2005a
, 2010).
References.
Lo Bianco (1909)
,
Stechow (1919)
,
Leloup (1934)
,
Yamada (1965)
,
Brinckmann-Voss (1970)
,
Boero (1981a
,
b
,
c
),
Morri & Bianchi (1982)
, Morri (1985),
Boero & Fresi (1986)
, Gili (1986),
García-Rubies (1987
,
1992
),
Llobet i Nadal (1987)
,
Llobet
et al.
(1991)
,
Riedl (1991)
, Altuna (1994),
Medel & López-González (1996)
,
Schuchert (1996
,
2001b
, 2010, 2012),
Faucci & Boero (2000)
,
De Vito (2002)
, Bouillon
et al.
(2004), Gravili (2006),
Gravili
et al.
(2008a)
.