Grammaria rigida Fraser, 1943a

Calder, Dale R. & Choong, Henry H. C., 2018, Names of hydroids (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) established by Charles McLean Fraser (1872 - 1946), excluding those from Allan Hancock Expeditions, Zootaxa 4487 (1), pp. 1-83 : 41

Grammaria rigida Fraser, 1943a

Grammaria rigida Fraser, 1943a: 79 , pl. 18, fig. 8.

Holotype. MCZ-IZ 9011: Barbados, off Sandy Bay, Hassler Expedition 1871–1872, 13°03’00”N, 59°35’00”W, 29–30 December 1871, one colony fragment, 1 cm high, in fair condition, without gonophores, labelled “ type ” and “ holotype ”; 80% ethanol.

Type locality. Barbados: off Sandy Bay , 13°03’00”N, 59°35’00”W, 100 fm (183 m) ( Fraser 1943a).

Current status. Valid.

Remarks. Grammaria rigida was described by Fraser (1943a) from a colony fragment in a collection at the MCZ. Although no types of it were originally designated in that paper, material of the species exists at the museum (MCZ-IZ 9011) from the type locality, and with labels marked “ type ” and “ holotype ”. No other types are known to exist, and the single specimen, a fragment of a hydrocaulus with 13 hydrocladia or parts thereof, is the holotype by monotypy. It is in satisfactory condition, although hydranths are mostly deteriorated or absent.

This is another poorly known hydroid species, described by Fraser (1943a) from the trophosome only. No records of it have been published since the original description, although non-type material from North Carolina, identified as G. rigida , exists at the NMNH (USNM 61370, USNM 61371, USNM 72875). The species is listed as valid in WoRMS.