Genus Glaciambulata Galea, gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B2696364-D58F-4BB9-B326-DE244E1FA51A

Type species

Glaciambulata neumayeri gen. et sp. nov.

Diagnosis

Crawling medusae, unable to swim, possibly due to the absence of a velum. Umbrella watch glassshaped, margin entire, not lobed; exumbrella smooth; eight radial canals joining a circular canal; centripetal canals absent; manubrium eight-lobed, giving rise to eight perradial mesenteries; eight pairs of gonads, each of which is conFned to either side of a manubrial lobe; tentacles of two types, Fliform and adhesive, arranged in contiguous groups composed of several superimposed rows; 16 free, ectoendodermal statocysts (2 per octant).

Etymology

From the Latin words glăciēs, meaning ice, and ambŭlo, -āvī, -ātum, -āre, meaning to walk, making reference to the peculiar habit of this medusa.

Remarks

The Fat, smooth umbrella, and the absence of a velum immediately distinguish the new genus from Ptychogastria Allman, 1878 and Tesserogastria Beyer, 1959 . The manubrial shape, the composition and arrangement of tentacles, the presence of mesenteries, and the shape and position of the gonads, are reminiscent of Ptychogastria . The presence of adhesive tentacles, and of 16 statocysts, instead of only 8, further distinguish it from Tesserogastria .