Hydromedusae observed during night dives in the Gulf Stream
Author
Schuchert, Peter
Muséum d’histoire naturelle, C. P. 6434, CH- 1211 Genève 6, Switzerland
peter.schuchert@ville-ge.ch
Author
Collins, Richard
880 NE 33 rd Street, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
rc6684@icloud.com
text
Revue suisse de Zoologie
2021
2021-10-21
128
2
237
356
journal article
10.35929/RSZ.0049
172fa5c5-c0c4-4bd7-b710-d608237b8458
0035-418
5639938
Genus
Turritopsis
McCrady, 1857
Synonymy:
See
Schuchert (2020)
.
Diagnosis:
Medusae with high bell, proximal portion of radial canals swollen through vacuolated gastrodermal cells, forming a peduncle-like mass on top of manubrium, in larger animals continued on manubrium as perradial ribs. Tentacles numerous and evenly distributed. Mouth four-lipped, fringed with numerous spherical nematocyst clusters, these with or without a distinct stalk. Ocelli adaxial on tentacle base.
Fig. 10.
Larsonia pterophylla
.
(A) BFLA4453, lateral view of animal, size 27 mm. (B) BFLA4453, close up of manubrium in lateral view. (C) Animal photographed 08-AUG-20181 part of bell margin in aboral view showing rudimentary tentacle bulbs (warts).
Polyp stage forming erect, branching colonies, sidebranches and hydranth pedicels adnate for some distance, perisarc tubes not nested. Hydranths spindleto club-shaped; filiform tentacles scattered over much of hydranth body. Gonophores develop on the hydrocauli in perisarc covered region and are liberated as medusae.
Remarks:
The genera
Turritopsis
McCrady, 1857
and
Oceania
Péron & Lesueur, 1810
are morphologically not separable (comp.
Schuchert, 2016
). The purported difference of the stalked oral nematocyst buttons in
Oceania
is not tenable as also
T. nutricula
has stalked clusters (see below). However, to avoid unnecessary taxonomic changes, the two genera should not be synonymized until a comprehensive molecular phylogeny using several marker genes confirms this.