Macrorhynchia philippina Kirchenpauer, 1872

(Figure 6G–I)

Material examined

1 colony, polyp, without gonophores; Caleritas Beach, La Paz Bay, Baja California Sur, 24.350N, 110.290°W; depth 0–1 m, 30 April 2017; on rock; ECO-CH-Z 11773 . – 1 colony, polyp, without phylactocarps; Punta Los Muertos, Baja California Sur, 24.248°N, 110.150°W; depth 1–2 m; 20 July 2018; on the alga Bryopsis sp ., ascidian, and Bryozoa; ECO-CH-Z 11765 . – 1 colony, polyp, without phylactocarps; El Mogote Sand Bar, La Paz Bay, Baja California Sur, 24.159°N, 110.341°; depth 0–2 m; 1 July 2019; on ascidian; ECO-CH-Z 11796 .

Identification (after Calder 1997; Di Camillo et al. 2009)

Colonies erect; hydrocaulus polysiphonic basally and monosiphonic distally, twice-pinnately branched, divided into internodes by transverse to slightly oblique nodes. Internodes from the anterior side of the primary hydrocaulus with a distal hydrocladial apophysis, a mamelon, and two nematothecae, one basal and the other axillary. Hydrocladia divided into thecate internodes by oblique nodes, each internode with a hydrotheca, three nematothecae, one median inferior and one pair lateral, and two internodal septa. Hydrothecae with abcauline wall convex except for pronounced concavity just below margin; adcauline intrathecal septum prominent extending about halfway across the intrathecal cavity. Hydrothecal margin sinuous in lateral view, with two short lateral cusps and a short median abcauline cusp. Median inferior nematotheca reaches beyond the hydrotheca margin distally, adnate to the abcauline wall of hydrothecal as far as intrathecal septum; lateral nematothecae adnate to hydrothecal wall, extending beyond margin of hydrothecae.

Distribution

Previously recorded on the west coast of the Gulf of California, Baja California Sur (Fraser 1938b, 1948; Baynes 1999), and for the rest of the gulf in Nayarit and Sonora (Fraser 1938c, 1948). In the MP, it has been recorded off the coasts of Jalisco and Guerrero (Fraser 1938a, 1938c).