Some shallow-water hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from the central east coast of Florida, USA
Author
Calder, Dale R.
text
Zootaxa
2013
2013-05-14
3648
1
1
72
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3648.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3648.1.1
1175-5326
5264362
22089255-436A-4DBB-BD93-1D3C8CF281FE
Halopteris carinata
Allman, 1877
Fig. 11f–h
Halopteris carinata
Allman, 1877: 33
, pl. 19, figs. 3–7.—
Humann, 1992: 75
, middle photograph.—
Humann & DeLoach, 2002: 75
, middle photograph.—
Schuchert, 1997: 123
, fig. 45.
Type
locality.
USA
:
Florida
, off
Carysfort Reef
(
Allman 1877
)
.
Voucher material.
Off Palm Beach
,
26°48.4’N
,
79°58.6’W
,
36.6 m
,
Johnson-Sea-Link
, JSL 288,
16.ix.1975
, one colony,
9 cm
high, without gonophores, coll. S.
Nelson
,
ROMIZ
B1084
.—
West Palm Beach
, on reef seaward of the
Breakers Hotel
,
45 feet
(
13.7 m
),
January 1991
, SCUBA, fragments of one or more large colonies, cormidia up to
11 cm
high, with gonophores, coll.
P. Humann
,
ROMIZ
B1128
.
Remarks.
Significant taxonomic and nomenclatural problems exist within the genus
Halopteris
Allman, 1877
. First, the name is threatened by a seldom-used senior synonym (
Halicornaria
Hincks, 1865
;
type
species
Plumularia catharina
Johnston, 1833
, by monotypy; not
Halicornaria
Allman 1874
=
Gymnangium
Hincks, 1874
). In the interests of nomenclatural stability, the well-known name
Halopteris
is designated herein as valid and as a nomen protectum, while
Halicornaria
Hincks, 1865
(not
Halicornaria
Allman, 1874
) is relegated to a nomen oblitum by adopting Reversal of Precedence provisions (ICZN Art. 23.9.1.1). Thus,
Halicornaria
sensu Hincks
has not been used as a valid name in zoology after 1899, whereas
Halopteris
has been utilized in more than 25 works by numerous authors (>10) in the past 50 years (e.g.,
Vervoort 1968
, 2006;
Millard 1975
;
Rees & Vervoort 1987
;
Gili
et al
. 1989
;
Cornelius 1995b
;
Hirohito 1995
;
Migotto 1996
;
Calder 1997
;
Schuchert 1997
,
2003
;
Watson 2000
;
Ansín Agís
et al
. 2001
;
Cairns
et al
. 2002
;
Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa 2002
;
Grohmann
et al
. 2003
;
Vervoort & Watson 2003
;
Calder & Kirkendale 2005
;
Bouillon
et al
. 2006
;
Galea 2006
,
2008
,
2010
;
Altuna Prados 2007
;
Henry
et al
. 2008
;
Castellanos Iglesias
et al
. 2011
). Second, misgivings were expressed earlier (
Calder 1997: 33
) about the overly broad scope of
Halopteris
as currently recognized and defined. Its
type
species,
Halopteris carinata
Allman, 1877
, is decidedly different in hydrothecal and gonothecal morphology from other species presently assigned to the genus (see
Schuchert 1997: 125
). No changes to the existing classification and nomenclature of the genus are introduced here, but revision of
Halopteris
is warranted.
Gonothecae of both sexes were present on some cormidia in part of the material (ROMIZ B1128). Smaller male gonothecae were present on hydrocladia and larger female ones on hydrocauli (
Figs.
11g
, h
).
One part of the material examined here (ROMIZ B1128) has been illustrated (as photographs) in the guidebooks of
Humann (1992)
and
Humann & DeLoach (2002)
, and the other (ROMIZ B1084) has been described by
Schuchert (1997)
.
Reported distribution.
Atlantic coast of
Florida
. Off Carysfort Reef (
Allman 1877
).—off Palm Beach area (
Humann 1992
;
Schuchert 1997
;
Humann & DeLoach 2002
).
Western Atlantic. South Florida and
the Bahamas
(
Fraser 1944
) to
Brazil
(Oliveira
et al
. submitted), including
Bermuda
(
Calder 1997
), the Gulf of Mexico (
Calder & Cairns 2009
), and the Caribbean Sea (
Calder & Kirkendale 2005
;
Galea 2010
;
Castellanos Iglesias
et al
. 2011
).
Elsewhere.
Cape Verde
Islands (
Ansín Agís
et al
. 2001
;
Vervoort 2006
).