Hincksella brevitheca Galea, 2009

Calder, Dale R., 2013, Some shallow-water hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from the central east coast of Florida, USA, Zootaxa 3648 (1), pp. 1-72 : 34

Hincksella brevitheca Galea, 2009

Fig. 9h

Hincksella brevitheca Galea, 2009: 61 , figs. 1B, 2A–I.

Type locality. Cuba: off Cayo Largo (21°35'06''N, 81°35'19'' W), 15 m ( Galea 2009) .

Voucher material. Palm Beach, 0.75 miles (1.2 km) offshore, 29 m, 22.vii.1974, Johnson-Sea-Link, JSL 1173, diver lockout, one colony, 2.3 cm high, without gonophores, coll. J. Prentice, ROMIZ B1079.

Remarks. Hincksella brevitheca Galea, 2009 , recently described from Cuba, is reported for only the second time. Similar nominal species in the western Atlantic include Sertularella formosa Fewkes, 1881 and S. hartlaubi Nutting, 1904 , both of which are referable to Syntheciidae Marktanner-Turneretscher, 1890 and to the genus Hincksella Billard, 1918 , as currently defined. Galea (2009) examined type material of Hincksella hartlaubi and concluded that it was conspecific with H. formosa , a conclusion also held by Vervoort (1959).

As with the original account of Hincksella brevitheca by Galea (2009), material from Florida had (1) stem internodes each with three hydrothecae and an apophysis bearing a hydrocladium, (2) hydrocladia with few or no nodes, (3) shallow and deeply immersed hydrothecae, each thickened at the margin and given off at an angle of about 30° with the stem. These characters distinguish the species from others of the genus.

Although previously known only from southern Cuba, Galea (2009: 63) noted that the species presumably occurs throughout the Caribbean Basin. In support of his view, two additional records of it from the Caribbean can be added here based on material in collections at the Royal Ontario Museum ( Cayman Islands: Grand Cayman Island, caves in coral reef west side, just north of Georgetown, 10 m, 26.xi.1980, one colony, without gonophores, coll. A. Logan, ROMIZ B1990; Panama: Bocas del Toro area, Swan’s Key, 09°27’12.2”N, 82°18’01.8”W, 1–4 m, 07.viii.2004, two colonies, without gonophores, coll. L. Kirkendale, no collection number). The specimens from Panama were reported as Sertularella hartlaubi by Calder & Kirkendale (2005).

Gonophores of the species have yet to be described.

Reported distribution. Atlantic coast of Florida. First record.

Western Atlantic. Florida (reported herein) to the Caribbean Sea ( Galea 2009; Calder & Kirkendale 2005, as Sertularella hartlaubi ).

Figures

FIGURE 9. a, Sertularella unituba: part of hydrocaulus with two hydrothecae, ROMIZ B1099, scale equals 0.25 mm. b, Sertularella unituba: gonotheca, ROMIZ B1099, scale equals 0.25 mm. c, Tridentata distans: part of hydrocaulus with four hydrothecal pairs, ROMIZ B3968, scale equals 0.20 mm. d, Tridentata loculosa: part of hydrocaulus with two hydrothecal pairs, ROMIZ B1078, scale equals 0.20 mm. e, Tridentata marginata: part of hydrocaulus with two hydrothecal pairs, ROMIZ B3969, scale equals 0.35 mm.; f, Tridentata marginata: gonotheca, ROMIZ B3969, scale equals 0.25 mm. g, Tridentata turbinata: part of hydrocaulus with two hydrothecal pairs, ROMIZ B3970, scale equals 0.25 mm. h, Hincksella brevitheca: part of hydrocladium with hydrothecae, ROMIZ B1079, scale equals 0.25 mm. i, Synthecium tubithecum: part of hydrocladium with two hydrothecal pairs, ROMIZ B1074, scale equals 0.25 mm.