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
Halecium labrosum
Alder, 1859
Fig. 62
A–D
See
Schuchert (2005b)
for a complete synonymy.
Material examined.
HCUS-S 0 69 (Hydrozoa Collection, University of Salento—fauna of the Salento Peninsula).
Description
(based on our own observations;
Schuchert 2005b
):
Hydroid.
Colonies erect; hydrocauli polysiphonic, up to
100 mm
high, irregularly branched, mainly in one plane, internodes provided with irregular undulations, each inserted laterally at distal part of previous internode with characteristic upward curve near base, nodes alternately oblique; hydrotheca at the end of internode, short, with everted rim recurved downwards, renovations frequent; gonothecae borne on short 1–2 ringed pedicels, without gonophoral hydranths, male ones oval and elongated, with small distal aperture, females ovoid, large, aperture on short collar.
Cnidome.
Microbasic mastigophores.
Habitat
type
.
Hard-bottom, coralligenous, semi-dark cave (depth range:
0–40 m
, but also down to
700 m
) (
Boero & Fresi 1986
; Gili 1986; Puce
et al
. 2009; Mastrototaro
et al
. 2010).
Substrate.
Algae, concretions, hydroids, bryozoans, barnacles, cold water corals.
Seasonality.
September–November (
Boero & Fresi 1986
); April, May, July–August, November–February (Llobet i Nidal 1987); February (Puce
et al
. 2009) in the western Mediterranean; April, September (Mastrototaro
et al.
2010), December (this study) in Salento waters.
Reproductive period.
September–November (
Boero & Fresi 1986
); September, October, December, February (Bouillon
et al
. 2004) in the Mediterranean Sea.
Distribution.
Arctic-boreal species, eastern and western Atlantic, Mediterranean, northern Pacific (
Cornelius 1995
;
Medel & López-González 1996
; Bouillon
et al.
2004;
Schuchert 2005b
).
Records in Salento.
Rare at S. Maria di Leuca (Mastrototaro
et al
. 2010).
Remarks.
For
Schuchert (2005b)
, following
Broch (1918)
, it is possible that at least some Mediterranean records of
H. labrosum
belong to other species of
Halecium
,
particularly to
H. mediterraneum
.
References.
Picard (1958a)
,
Rossi (1961
,
1971
),
Sarà
et al.
(1978)
, Morri & Bianchi (1983),
Boero & Fresi (1986)
, Gili (1986),
Llobet
et al.
(1986
,
1991
), Llobet i Nidal (1987), Gili
et al.
(1989),
Medel & López-González (1996)
, Bouillon
et al.
(2004),
Schuchert (2005b)
, Puce
et al.
(2009), Mastrototaro
et al.
(2010).