Symplectoscyphus subdichotomus (Kirchenpauer, 1884)

Synonyms in the area: Sertularella johnstoni Gray, 1843 [polyp]; Sertularella subdichotoma —Jäderholm 1903 p. 278–279, 1904a p. 3, 1905, 1910 p. 4, 1920, 1926; Hartlaub 1904, 1905; Nutting 1904 [polyp]; Sertularella divaricata var. subdichotoma —Jäderholm 1920, 1926 [polyp]; Sertularella subdichotoma —Naumov & Stepanjants 1962 [polyp]; Sertularella johnstoni —Stepanjants 1979 [polyp].

Remarks: an exhaustive comparative analysis of materials with a broad geographic distribution, ideally including molecular markers, is necessary to resolve the status of the species Symplectoscyphus subdichotomus and Sertularella filiformis (cf. with remarks by Galea & Schories 2012a p. 47–48).

Distribution in South America: polyp—Pacific Ocean, Chile, from 22.8°S to 55.37°S (Jäderholm 1903 p. 278–279, 1904a p. 3, 1910 p. 4; Leloup 1974 p. 42; Galea 2007 p. 71–74; Galea et al. 2009a p. 343); Atlantic Ocean, Brazil to Argentina, at 29.38°S 47.95°W, from 35°S to 56°S (Hartlaub 1904, 1905; Jäderholm 1905, 1920, 1926; Blanco 1967b, 1969b, 1976a, 1994a; Vervoort 1972; Milstein 1976; Stepanjants 1979; El Beshbeeshy 1991, 2011; Genzano & Zamponi 1997, 2003; Seo 2003; López-Gappa & Sueiro 2006; Genzano et al. 2009a; Miranda et al. 2015).

Habitat: polyp—from intertidal zone to 1200m depth, commonly in scallop community, on hard substrates, algae, the crustacean Eurypodius latreillii, mussels, polychaete tubes, shells, sponges and hydroids (Hartlaub 1904; Vervoort 1972; Leloup 1974 p. 42; Blanco 1976a, 1994a; El Beshbeeshy 1991, 2011; Galea 2007 p. 71–74; Galea et al. 2009a p. 343; Genzano et al. 2009a).