Cyclohelia Cairns, 1991

Cairns, Stephen D. & Lindner, Alberto, 2011, A Revision of the Stylasteridae (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Filifera) from Alaska and Adjacent Waters, ZooKeys 158, pp. 1-88 : 7

Genus Cyclohelia Cairns, 1991

Diagnosis.

Colonies lamellar, often attaining a large size. Coenosteum reticulate-granular, reddish-orange. Gastro- and dactylopores uniformly distributed on corallum faces, of the axial type. Dactylopore spines circular to elliptical, enclosed by a thin wall for entire perimeter. Dactylostyles absent. Gastrostyles elongate but tabulae absent; a diffuse ring palisade present. Ampullae internal.

Discussion.

The genus is monotypic. According to the molecular analysis of Cairns 2005), rendering the colonies of Distichopora anceps as a “transition” in morphology between the two genera.

Type Species.

Cyclohelia lamellata Cairns, 1991, by original designation.

Distribution.

Known only from the Aleutian Islands and Pribilof Islands, 27-567 m.