Nemalecium lighti ( Hargitt, 1924 )

Galea, Horia R., 2008, On a collection of shallow-water hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from Guadeloupe and Les Saintes, French Lesser Antilles, Zootaxa 1878, pp. 1-54 : 24

Nemalecium lighti ( Hargitt, 1924)

(fig. 4M– O)

Halecium lighti Hargitt, 1924: 489 , pl. 4 fig. 13.

Nemalecium lighti — Bouillon, 1986: 73, figs 1–4, pls 1–3.— Calder, 1991d: 27, figs 17–18.— Migotto, 1996: 36, fig. 7H– I.— Gravier-Bonnet & Migotto, 2000: 207, figs 1–2.

Material examined. Stn. 1: 20.03.2008 —several colonies, ca. 5 mm high, some fertile, on Thalassia testudinum ; 31.03.2008 —a few sterile stems, 4–5 mm high, on T. testudinum . Stn. 2: 22.01.2008 —a few sterile stems, up to 1 cm high, on sponge. Stn. 5: 31.03.2008 —two sterile stems, 4–5 mm high, on hydrocoral. Stn. 6: 23.03.2008 —numerous sterile colonies, with both mono- and polysiphonic stems, up to 5 cm high, on various algae, concretions and sponge; 24.03.2008 —one sterile colony, 2–4 mm high, on Caulerpa sp.; 28.03.2008 —numerous colonies, some fertile, up to 4 mm high, on T. testudinum . Stn. 7: 25.03.2008 —one fertile colony, ca. 1.8 cm high, on sponge; 27.03.2008 —a few sterile colonies, 0.4–1.0 cm high, on T. testudinum , hydrocoral and concretions.

Type locality. Port Galera Bay, Mindoro, Philippines.

Remarks. The present material is composed of both small, slender, unbranched or sparingly branched, monosiphonic stems, mainly growing on algae and phanerogams, and large, branched, polysiphonic colonies growing on hard substrates or epizoic on other organisms (mainly sponges). For a recent description of N. lighti from the western Atlantic, and additional data on it, see Calder (1991d). Gonangium development and medusoid structure were studied by Gravier-Bonnet & Migotto (2000).

Distribution. Indian Ocean, Western Pacific, Bermuda ( Calder 1991d), Brazil ( Migotto 1996).