Macrorhynchia philippina Kirchenpauer, 1872

Calder, Dale R., 2013, Some shallow-water hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from the central east coast of Florida, USA, Zootaxa 3648 (1), pp. 1-72 : 52

Macrorhynchia philippina Kirchenpauer, 1872

Fig. 14i

Macrorhynchia philippina Kirchenpauer, 1872: 19 .

Aglaophenia philippina Kirchenpauer, 1872: 45 , text-fig. p. 17; pl. 1, fig. 26, pl. 2, figs. 26 a–b; pl. 7, fig. 26.

Lytocarpus philippinus .— Weiss, 1948: 158.— Cummings, 1994: 1208.

Lytocarpus filippinus .— Voss & Voss, 1955: 223 [incorrect subsequent spelling].

? Lytocarpus sp. — Clark & Goetzfried, 1976: 477.

Macrorynchia philippina .— Jones, 2002: 218 [incorrect subsequent spelling].

Type locality. Philippines: Manila ( Kirchenpauer 1872: 45) .

Voucher material. Bethel Shoal off Vero Beach, 27°42.6’N, 80°06.8’W, 24 m, 18.ii.1976, Johnson-Sea-Link, JSL 328, diver lockout, one colony fragment, 3.7 cm high, without gonothecae, coll. S. Nelson, ROMIZ B1092 .

Remarks. A thorough taxonomic account of Macrorhynchia philippina Kirchenpauer, 1872 , including both a synonymy list and detailed distribution records, has been given by Ansín Agís et al. (2001). Additional synonyms of this widespread species are listed in Calder (1997).

Although the reported bathymetric range of Macrorhynchia philippina extends from surface waters to 411 m ( Ansín Agís et al. 2001), the species is most often encountered at shallow depths (<25 m). In the southeastern United States it penetrates a short distance inside bays, inlets, creeks, and rivers ( Fraser 1912b; Calder & Hester 1978; Calder 1983), but only into environments that are typically euhaline (30–40‰).

Variously known as “fire weed” or “fire fern” ( Rifkin et al. 1993), or “white stinger” ( Cairns et al. 2002), colonies of Macrorhynchia philippina are venomous to humans. A large (20 cm), venomous hydroid identified by Clark & Goetzfried (1976) as Lytocarpus sp. from the jetty at Sebastian Inlet, Florida, was likely this species. They described a new species of opisthobranch mollusc ( Lomanotus stauberi ) associated with it. Contact with the hydroid caused an intense sting, and nematocysts were also thought to be present in mucus released into the water from the colony. Those hydroids were reported by Clark & Goetzfried to be seasonal in occurrence in the area, being present from June through November and occasionally into December.

Macrorhynchia philippina liberates a medusoid stage as part of its life cycle (e.g., Gravier 1970; Migotto 1996; Bourmaud & Gravier-Bonnet 2004).

Reported distribution. Atlantic coast of Florida. Biscayne Bay ( Weiss 1948, as Lytocarpus philippinus ; Voss & Voss 1955, as Lytocarpus filippinus ; Jones 2002).—(?) Sebastian Inlet ( Clark & Goetzfried 1976, as Lytocarpus sp. ).—Boca Raton ( Cummings 1994, as L. philippinus ).

Western Atlantic. North Carolina ( Fraser 1912b, as Lytocarpus philippinus ) to Brazil (Oliveira et al. submitted), including Bermuda ( Calder 1997), the Gulf of Mexico ( Calder & Cairns 2009), and the Caribbean Sea ( Galea 2010).

Elsewhere. Circumglobal in warm neritic waters ( Ansín Agís et al. 2001; Schuchert 2003).

SUBORDER PROBOSCOIDEA Broch, 1910

Figures

FIGURE 14. a, Aglaophenia dubia: part of a hydrocladium with two hydrothecae, ROMIZ B1125, scale equals 0.10 mm. b, Aglaophenia latecarinata: part of a hydrocladium with two hydrothecae, ROMIZ B1086, scale equals 0.10 mm. c, Aglaophenia rhynchocarpa: part of a hydrocladium with two hydrothecae, ROMIZ B1083, scale equals 0.10 mm. d, Aglaophenia trifida: part of a hydrocladium with three hydrothecae, ROMIZ B1086, scale equals 0.10 mm. e, Gymnangium speciosum: part of a hydrocladium with three hydrothecae, ROMIZ B1131, scale equals 0.20 mm. f, Macrorhynchia allmani: part of a hydrocladium with two hydrothecae, ROMIZ B3982, scale equals 0.10 mm. g, Macrorhynchia clarkei: part of a hydrocladium with two hydrothecae, ROMIZ B1129, scale equals 0.10 mm. h, Macrorhynchia clarkei: a single phylactogonium from a pseudocorbula, ROMIZ B1129, scale equals 0.25 mm. i, Macrorhynchia philippina: part of a hydrocladium with three hydrothecae, ROMIZ B1092. Scale equals 0.10 mm.