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 Eudendrium carneum Clarke, 1882 Fig. 16 A–F See Schuchert (2008b) for a complete synonymy. Material examined. HCUS-S 0 19 (Hydrozoa Collection, University of Salento—fauna of the Salento Peninsula). Description (after Calder 1988 ; Bavestrello & Piraino 1991 ; Marques et al. 2000a , b ; Schuchert 2008b ): Hydroid. Hydrorhiza as a creeping mass of stolons, rhizocaulomic; colonies erect, bushy, up to 105 mm high; hydrocauli polysiphonic, densely branched in a more or less alternating pattern, with thick perisarc, thinner towards distal end, annulated basally on hydrocladia and hydranth pedicels, also occasional annulations elsewhere; hydrocladia completely (major branches) or basally (secondary branches) polysiphonic; hydranths with shallow basal perisarc groove; hypostome large and flared; up to 32 filiform tentacles in one whorl. Gonophores as fixed sporosacs, born on hydranths; females (4–10) on reduced hydranths with partially atrophied tentacles, spadix bifid and acuminate, curving over egg, shed during development, embryos borne in perisarc-covered capsules arranged irregularly along annulated pedicel, terminal polyp eventually lost; males (> 10) in a tuft at end of pedicel, without vestiges of hydranth, each with up to 5 chambers, distal end of gonophore with scattered nematocysts. Colours: perisarc, brownish in older parts, paler towards distal end; hydranths red coloured, sporosacs red. Cnidome. Heterotrichous anisorhizas (22.2–23.4x10.1–10.8 µm), on hydranth, hypostome and on the stem; shaft visible in undischarged cnidocysts; heterotrichous microbasic euryteles ( 9x 4 µm) on tentacles and ectoderm. Habitat type . Intertidal to depths of about 20 m ( Marques et al. 2000a ), but it prefers shady environments ( Bavestrello & Piraino 1991 ). Substrate. Ship hulls, rocks. Seasonality. In the western Mediterranean Sea in July (Gili 1986), October ( Bavestrello & Piraino 1991 ), July–December ( Marques et al . 2000a ). Reproductive period. In the western Mediterranean Sea, reproductive colonies occur in July (Gili 1986), and October ( Bavestrello & Piraino 1991 ). Distribution. Western and eastern Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, western and central Pacific, Mediterranean ( Fraser 1944 ; Vannucci 1954 ; Vervoort 1968 ; Watson 1985 ; Medel & López-González 1996 ; Marques et al. 2000a ; Bouillon et al. 2004; Schuchert 2008b ). Records in Salento. Rare in Salento waters: Gulf of Taranto (S. Piraino, pers. observ.). Remarks. This species often occurs on ship hulls and is thus potentially easily introduced to other regions ( Millard 1975 ; Occhipinti-Ambrogi et al. 2011 ). References. Vervoort (1968) , Millard (1975) , Gili (1986), Calder (1988) , Bavestrello & Piraino (1991) , Marinopoulos (1992) , Marques et al. (2000a , b ), Schuchert (2008), Morri et al. (2009) .