SEM study of species of Oswaldella Stechow, 1919 (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Kirchenpaueriidae), with an annotated checklist of the species of the genus
Author
Molinero, A. González
Author
Peña Cantero, A. L.
text
Zootaxa
2015
4052
4
401
441
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4052.4.1
93f6d085-8e63-4d1e-89c1-f950128b2a61
1175-5326
245887
47EF6E9D-9064-4899-B3DD-276FF7C969EB
Oswaldella grandis
Peña Cantero, Svoboda & Vervoort, 1997
(
Figs 7
,
16
G, 17G, 19G)
Material examined.
Spanish
Antarctic
Expedition
Antártida
8611
:
Stn NA 172
,
61°01'S
–
60°58'S
, 55°34'–
55°56'W
(Elephant
Island
, South
Shetland Islands
) (Department of Zoology, University of Valencia, ANT NA 172).
Description.
Polysiphonic, unbranched stems, up to
500 mm
high, usually divided into internodes. Angle between cauline apophyses and stem ca. 45°. Cauline apophyses with four to five nematophores, two to three axillary ones, each emerging through simple hole in perisarc, and other two nematophores, each emerging through ‘mamelon’ (
Fig. 7
B–C).
Hydrocladia much branched (
Fig. 7
A), with up to third-order hydrocladia. First hydrocladial internode bifurcated (
Fig. 7
A), with two similar prongs. Mesial-inferior nematophore typically with much reduced nematotheca, though not existent in present material (
Fig. 7
D–F). Unforked hydrocladial internodes without infrathecal swelling. Hydrotheca placed on distal half of internode (
Fig. 7
D–E). Hydrotheca low, about as high as wide. Abcauline hydrothecal wall straight. Hydrothecal aperture circular, perpendicular to longitudinal axis of internode; rim even (
Fig. 7
D–E).
Male
gonothecae almost cylindrical, with subterminal opening. Female larger, club-shaped, with subterminal aperture.
Remarks.
Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa (1995) did not find any mesial inferior nematothecae when they examined this material, a pattern corroborated herein by SEM analysis.
As
Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa (1995) indicated, this could be related with the poor condition of the material with just a few hydrocladia left.
Until now only two axillary nematophores in the cauline apophyses had been described for this species. However, we observed three with the central one being larger and sometimes with the appearance of being the result of coalescence of two central ones (
Fig. 7
C).