Dentitheca dendritica ( Nutting 1900 )

Torres-Rodríguez, Javier, Ortiz-Oyola, Daniel, Puentes-Sayo, Alejandra, Lecompte, Orlando P. & Jauregui, Aminta, 2020, Genetic and morphologic identities of hydrozoans (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) from reef patches of Santa Marta, Colombian Caribbean, Zootaxa 4758 (1), pp. 127-140 : 133-134

Dentitheca dendritica ( Nutting 1900)

Fig. 3

Plumularia dendritica Nutting, 1900: 67 , pl. 8, figs. 4–6.— Jones, 2002: 217.

Dentitheca dendritica — Humann, 1992: 73, middle photograph.— Humann & DeLoach, 2002: 73, middle photograph—Cairns et al., 2002: 55.

Dentitheca dendritica ― Calder & Kirkendale, 2005: 482.

Type locality. Bahamas: near Little Cat Island ( Nutting 1900: 67) .

Voucher material. Reef patches of Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia. 49,2 feet (15 m). April 2016. SCUBA. Fragment of the hydrocaulus with several branches (hydrocladia).

Description. Fan-shaped colonies arising in a root-like form that is interwoven. Hydrocaulus polysiphonic and pinnately arranged. Brown and thick perisarc. The primary branches are polysiphonic and the subsequent ones also but in a smaller proportion until reaching the hydrocladia, which is monosiphonic. Main tube is divided into internodes by weak transverse nodes. Apophyses ending in a distal, oblique node with a cone-shaped nematotheca. Hydrocladia homomerously segmented into internodes separated by oblique nodes. Centrally placed hydrothecae with three nematotheca, one in the middle and two lateral. Hydrothecae tubular, adnate, abcauline side straight to slightly convex, slightly everted at rim. The hydrothecal margin has two lateral teeth with rounded tips. Mobile and bitalamic nematothecas; nematothecas from hydrothecae have a prominent apophyses; lateral nematothecas slightly surpassing the tips of lateral projection of the rim. Male gonotheca has a conical shape, the basal part narrows and the apical part widens. Flat operculum, usually develops from the nematothecas of the hydrocaulus.

Remarks. Male gonotheca is similar with the morphology presented by Galea et al. (2012).

Reported distribution. Atlantic coast of Florida. Palm Beach ( Humann 1992; Humann & DeLoach 2002; Cairns et al. 2002).—Biscayne Bay ( Jones 2002, as Plumularia dendritica ). Florida ( Humann 1992) and the Bahamas ( Vervoort 1968, as Plumularia dendritica ) to the Caribbean Sea ( Calder & Kirkendale 2005; Galea 2010).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Dentitheca dendritica A. Basal part of polysiphonic hydrocaulus. Arrow indicates one of the channels. B. Apical part of the hydrocaulus. Oblique node that divides the hydrocaulus in sections. C. Lateral apophyses that support the hydrocladium. D. Hydrothecae in a hydrocladium with mobile lateral nematotheca. E. Mid-lower nematotheca. F. Cone- shaped nematotheca from the apophyses. G. Male gonotheca with gonophore.