The non-Siphonophoran Hydrozoa (Cnidaria) of Salento, Italy with notes on their life-cycles: an illustrated guide Gravili, Cinzia Vito, Doris De Camillo, Cristina Gioia Di Martell, Luis Piraino, Stefano Boero, Ferdinando Zootaxa 2015 3908 1 1 187 3BZHY Clarke, 1882 Clarke 1882 [151,586,1556,1582] Hydrozoa Eudendriidae Eudendrium Animalia Anthoathecata 25 26 Cnidaria species carneum   Material examined.HCUS-S 0 19 (Hydrozoa Collection, University of Salento—fauna of the Salento Peninsula). Description(after Calder 1988; Bavestrello & Piraino 1991; Marques et al.2000a, b; Schuchert 2008b):  Hydroid.Hydrorhiza as a creeping mass of stolons, rhizocaulomic; colonies erect, bushy, up to 105 mmhigh; hydrocauli polysiphonic, densely branched in a more or less alternating pattern, with thick perisarc, thinner towards distal end, annulated basally on hydrocladia and hydranth pedicels, also occasional annulations elsewhere; hydrocladia completely (major branches) or basally (secondary branches) polysiphonic; hydranths with shallow basal perisarc groove; hypostome large and flared; up to 32 filiform tentacles in one whorl. Gonophores as fixed sporosacs, born on hydranths; females (4–10) on reduced hydranths with partially atrophied tentacles, spadix bifid and acuminate, curving over egg, shed during development, embryos borne in perisarc-covered capsules arranged irregularly along annulated pedicel, terminal polyp eventually lost; males (> 10) in a tuft at end of pedicel, without vestiges of hydranth, each with up to 5 chambers, distal end of gonophore with scattered nematocysts. Colours: perisarc, brownish in older parts, paler towards distal end; hydranths red coloured, sporosacs red.  Cnidome.Heterotrichous anisorhizas (22.2–23.4x10.1–10.8 µm), on hydranth, hypostome and on the stem; shaft visible in undischarged cnidocysts; heterotrichous microbasic euryteles ( 9x4 µm) on tentacles and ectoderm.  Habitat type.Intertidal to depths of about 20 m( Marques et al.2000a), but it prefers shady environments ( Bavestrello & Piraino 1991).  Substrate.Ship hulls, rocks.  Seasonality.In the western Mediterranean Sea in July (Gili 1986), October ( Bavestrello & Piraino 1991), July–December ( Marques et al. 2000a).  Reproductive period.In the western Mediterranean Sea, reproductive colonies occur in July (Gili 1986), and October ( Bavestrello & Piraino 1991).   Distribution.Western and eastern Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, western and central Pacific, Mediterranean ( Fraser 1944; Vannucci 1954; Vervoort 1968; Watson 1985; Medel & López-González 1996; Marques et al.2000a; Bouillon et al.2004; Schuchert 2008b).  Records in Salento.Rare in Salento waters: Gulf of Taranto (S. Piraino, pers. observ.).   Remarks.This species often occurs on ship hulls and is thus potentially easily introduced to other regions ( Millard 1975; Occhipinti-Ambrogi et al.2011).   References. Vervoort (1968), Millard (1975), Gili (1986), Calder (1988), Bavestrello & Piraino (1991), Marinopoulos (1992), Marques et al.(2000a, b), Schuchert (2008), Morri et al.(2009).