Solmissus marshalli Agassiz & Mayer, 1902

Buecher, Emmanuelle, Goy, Jacqueline, J, Mark & Gibbons, 2005, Hydromedusae of the Agulhas Current, African Invertebrates 46, pp. 27-69 : 32

Solmissus marshalli Agassiz & Mayer, 1902

Solmissus marshalli: Agassiz and Mayer 1902: 151 , pl. 5, figs 5, 23; Kramp 1961: 286; 1968: 131, fig. 354.

Description: Seven immature specimens from six stations. Saucer-shaped umbrella, broader than tall, up to 16 mm in diameter. Exumbrella surface smooth. Mesoglea thickened centrally, thinning to lappets. Velum broad. 8–20 equally-well developed peronia, short; similar number of broad, marginal lappets, very short, square, indistinct. 8–20 tentacles arising from within mesoglea, at centre of each gastric pouch, long, solid and characteristically banded. Without secondary tentacles on umbrella margin. Mouth simple, circular. 8–20 quadrangular gastric pouches, not extending beyond level of tentacles ventrad. Peripheral canal absent. More than ten statocysts per marginal lappet, without otoporpae. When mature, gonads associated with gastric pouches.

Material examined: H4985, H4986.

Comments: The four recognised and named species (Bouillon & Boero 2000 b) can be separated on a combination of characters, including the number and shape of stomach pouches, the texture of the exumbrella surface and the mesoglea, as well as the overall body shape. Only one other species, S. incisa (Fewkes, 1886) has been recovered in Indian Ocean, off Sri Lanka (Kramp 1965), and this is identifiable by its greater number of stomach pouches (20–40) and their oval shape, as well as by the reduced number of statocysts per marginal lappet (2–5).

Distribution: World-wide in tropical and subtropical waters. Previously collected off south-east Africa and near the Cape of Good Hope (Kramp 1957). Epi- and mesopelagic.