Some thecate hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from off New Caledonia collected during KANACONO and KANADEEP expeditions of the French Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos Program Author Galea, Horia R. Author Schuchert, Peter text European Journal of Taxonomy 2019 2019-10-04 562 1 70 journal article 25305 10.5852/ejt.2019.562 f6af87ae-7f5c-482a-8437-cba6bdcf88f5 3474305 6567F621-7A92-4D1A-8902-A1E76325AF94 Symplectoscyphus ralphae Vervoort, 1993 Symplectoscyphus ralphae Vervoort, 1993: 270 , figs 65E–F, 66A–C. Symplectoscyphus ralphae – Galea 2016: 45 , fig. 10M–V. Material examined PACIFIC OCEAN • male colony with stems up to 1.4 cm high, on axis of antipatharian; off New Caledonia , stn DW4714; 22°49′ S , 167°25′ E ; 394–443 m ; 18 Aug. 2016 ; KANACONO leg.; MNHN- IK-2015-395 • two female colonies, 2.6 and 3.7 cm high, respectively; off New Caledonia , stn DW4784; 22°51′ S , 167°44′ E ; 310–322 m ; 29 Aug. 2016 ; KANACONO leg.; MNHN-IK-2015-396 • a colony composed of several stems up to 1.4 cm high, one of them with a female gonotheca; off New Caledonia , stn DW4715; 22°50′ S , 167°27′ E ; 424 m ; 18 Aug. 2016 ; KANACONO leg.; MNHN-IK-2015-397 • a stem 2.5 cm high with male gonothecae; off New Caledonia , stn CP4675; 22°50′ S , 167°30′ E ; 350– 366 m ; 13 Aug. 2016 ; KANACONO leg.; used as a whole for DNA extraction, DNA 1392; MHNG- INVE- 120853 • male and female colonies with stems up to 4 cm high, on different substrates; off New Caledonia , stn CP4674; 22°48′ S , 167°29′ E ; 311– 302 m ; 13 Aug. 2016 ; KANACONO leg.; MNHN- IK-2015-398 • a profuse male colony, with stems up to 1.8 cm high; off New Caledonia , stn DW4720; 22°50′ S , 167°11′ E ; 374–400 m ; 19 Aug. 2016 ; KANACONO leg.; a fertile stem was used for DNA extraction, DNA 1391; voucher MHNG-INVE- 120852 ; barcode identifier MK 073105 ; MNHN- IK-2015-469 . Remarks In view of the present material, always fertile, it can be now stated that the gonothecae are sexually dimorphic, as suspected earlier by Galea (2016) . Female gonothecae are longer and larger, and possess a larger number of transverse ridges, and a comparatively wider terminal funnel. Distribution New Caledonia ( Vervoort 1993 ; present study), Norfolk Ridge ( Galea 2016 ).