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 Stylactaria fucicola (M. Sars, 1857) Fig. 10 A–D See Schuchert (2008a , 2013 ) for a complete synonymy. FIGURE 10. Stylactaria fucicola : A , colony; B , gonozooid with male sporosacs (A, B same scale bar); C , male sporosac; D , nematocysts: microbasic euryteles and desmoneme (drawn by C.G. Di Camillo). Scale bars: A, B, 0.5 mm; C, 0.5 mm; D, 10 µm. Material examined. HCUS-S 0 11 and HCUS-S 0 12 (Hydrozoa Collection, University of Salento—fauna of the Salento Peninsula). Description (based on our own observations; Stechow 1919 , Schuchert 2008a both as Hydractinia fucicola ): Hydroid. Hydrorhiza encrusting, covered by naked coenosarc, with or without numerous spines; colonies stolonal, polymorphic with gastrozooids, gonozooids, and sometimes tentaculozooids; gastrozooids fusiform to cylindrical, up to 3 mm long, without perisarc collar at base; hypostome cylindrical; 6–12 tentacles; gonozooids usually smaller and more slender than gastrozooids, 4–8 tentacles and trumpet-shaped hypostome; colonies dioecious. Gonophores as fixed sporosacs, males spherical, females slightly flattened on both extremes, with 6– 12 eggs; both covered by numerous nematocysts, without radial canals or tentacle rudiments, spadix present. Colours: spine perisarc brown, hydranths orange or pink. Cnidome. Microbasic euryteles of two size classes, desmonemes; both gastrozooids and gonozooids with a characteristic ring of large microbasic eurytele cnidocysts surrounding the hypostome above the tentacle whorl. Habitat type . In the Mediterranean, S. fucicola occurs only in shallow waters ( 0–30 m ) ( Boero & Fresi, 1986 ; Schuchert 2008a ). Substrate. Algae, hydroids, barnacles, Posidonia leaves, sponges. Seasonality. In the Ligurian Sea from January to August, November–December ( Boero & Fresi 1986 ; Puce et al . 2009); in Salento waters from November to May (De Vito 2006; this study). Reproductive period. In the Ligurian Sea ( Boero & Fresi 1986 ; Puce et al . 2009), reproductive colonies occur in April, August; from February to April (De Vito 2006; this study) in Salento waters. Distribution. Northeastern Atlantic, Mediterranean ( Castric-Fey 1970 ; Medel & López-González 1996 ; Bouillon et al . 2004; Gravili et al . 2008a ; Schuchert 2008a ; Puce et al . 2009). Records in Salento. Common at Porto Cesareo ( Faucci & Boero 2000 ); Costa Merlata ( Fraschetti et al . 2002 ; Gravili 2006; Gravili et al . 2008a ); Otranto (De Vito 2006; Gravili 2006; Gravili et al . 2008a ; Ventura, 2011 ; Piraino et al. 2013 ; this study); Torre Lapillo ( Andreano 2007 ). Remarks. The presence of spines depends on the substrate ( Schuchert, 2008a ). Miglietta & Cunningham (2012) referred this nominal species to Stylactaria . Boero et al. (1998) interpreted the evolutionary trend of medusa reduction of the hydractiniids as repeated episodes of heterochrony. References. Motz-Kossowska (1905) as Hydractinia fucicola , Mayer (1910) as Stylactis fucicola , Stechow (1919) as H. fucicola , Picard (1952 , 1958a ) as Podocoryna fucicola , Castric-Fey (1970) as H. fucicola , Marinopoulos (1979) as P. fucicola , Gili et al. (1984) as Podocoryne fucicola , Boero & Fresi (1986) as Stylactis fucicola , Barangé & Gili (1987) as P. fucicola ; Medel & López-González (1996) , Bouillon et al. (1997), Faucci & Boero (2000) , Fraschetti et al . (2002) , Bouillon et al. (2004), De Vito (2006), Gravili (2006), Gravili et al . (2008a) , Schuchert (2008a) , Puce et al . (2009), Ventura (2011) , Piraino et al. (2013) all as H. fucicola .