Eucheilota maculata Hartlaub

Nagata, Renato Mitsuo, Júnior, Miodeli Nogueira & Haddad, Maria Angélica, 2014, Faunistic survey of Hydromedusae (Cnidaria, Medusozoa) from the coast of Paraná State, Southern Brazil, Zootaxa 3768 (3), pp. 291-326 : 304-306

Eucheilota maculata Hartlaub

( Figs 17–18 )

References consulted. Russell 1953: 311–313, figs 193–195. Vannucci 1957: 62. Kramp 1959a: p. 154, fig. 206. Kramp 1961: 174–175. Goy 1979: 278, fig. 16. Cornelius 1995: 157–160, fig. 35. Bouillon 1999: 425, fig. 3.95.

Material. Municipality of Pontal do Paraná, Balneário de Praia de Leste (25º43’S – 48º26’W): 20/08/1998 — 2 specimens; Municipality of Guaratuba (25°54’S; 48°23’W): 20/06/2004 — 16 specimens; 23/07/2004 — 1 specimen; 2 specimens.

Reference specimens deposited. MZUSP 978, 1 specimen. MZUSP 1485, 1 specimen.

World distribution. Southwest of India, North Atlantic, including several locations in Europe ( Cornelius 1995; Bouillon 1999), Argentina ( Goy 1979) and Brazil ( Tronolone 2001, this study).

Distribution in Brazil. From the state of São Paulo to Santa Catarina ( Tronolone 2001; Nogueira 2012; this study).

Description. Nearly hemispherical umbrella, 1–15 mm in diameter, and 4–12 mm in height. Manubrium quadrate and short, about 1/3 of the height of umbrella cavity, cruciform shape in aboral view, without peduncle; four black spots on the interradial walls of the manubrium ( Fig. 18 ), which occasionally may be absent in fixed material. Wide mouth with four perradial wide lips, with slightly fringed edges ( Fig. 18 ). Four radial canals. Gonads linear–ovate in young individuals, growing laterally over the distal 2/3 of the canals, not reaching the circular canal. Long hollow tentacles, with conical bulbs, usually 16, and rarely more (up to 24). A pair of coiled cirri flanking each tentacle. 1–3 rudimentary bulbs between each tentacle, which may develop tentacles, possibly with lateral cirri. 8 adradial closed-statocysts.

Systematic remarks. Although the specimens studied had rather shrunk cirri because of fixation, these can be observed under higher magnification ( Fig. 17 ), a characteristic that, together with 1–3 rudimentary bulbs with cirri between each tentacle; 8 adradial statocysts; and four interradial black spots on the manubrium wall support the identification of the species. The identification of the species for Brazil is uncertain because of many similarities with Eucheilota ventricularis McCrady (e.g., shape of umbrella, mouth lips, tentacular bulbs, shape and position of the gonads, and four manubrial black spots etc.) ( Tronolone 2001). We examined live specimens of E. af. ventricularis at the Uruguaian coast, which were very similar to the specimens described here, and also to live specimens observed from the São Sebastião Chanel ( Tronoloe 2001), including the coloration of tentacular bulbs and manubrial black spots (in almost all specimens), but were significantly larger (up to 23 mm) and had more tentacles (32–56). Even though these spots have been considered diagnostic for E. maculata ( Russell 1953; Bouillon 1999) they also occur in E. ventricularis ( Vannucci 1957; Rodriguez 2012), and may disappear after a period of fixation in formalin (Nogueira, M. & R. M. Nagata pers. obs.), which could explain records of specimens without these spots ( Goy 1979; Rodriguez 2012). Further studies are needed to determine the validity of these species.

Figures

FIGURE 14 – 18. Cirrholovenia tetranema Kramp: lateral view (14); Eucheilota duodecimalis A. Agassiz: oral view (15) and tencular bulb with a pair or lateral cirri view (16); Eucheilota maculata Hartlaub: umbrellar margin with a conical tentacular bulb, lateral cirri (arrow), and a rudmentary bulb (17), manubrium and mouth with four black spots on the interradial walls of the manubrium (18).