Acryptolaria conferta (Allman)

Watson, Jeanette W., 2003, Deep-water hydroids (Hydrozoa: Leptolida) from Macquarie Island, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 60 (2), pp. 151-180 : 161-162

Acryptolaria conferta (Allman)

Figures 11A–D

Cryptolaria conferta Allman, 1877: 17 , pl. 12 figs 6–10.— Stechow, 1913: 30.— Jarvis, 1922: 335.— Keller et al., 1975: 148.

Grammaria conferta .— Broch, 1913: 10.— Broch, 1918: 17–18.

Cryptolaria conferta var. australis Ritchie, 1911: 826 , pl. 84 fig. 2, pl. 87 fig. 1.— Jäderholm, 1919: 7, pl. 2 fig. 1.— Totton, 1930: 163, figs 19c–e.— Ralph, 1958: 315, figs 4a–g.— Yamada, 1959: 49.— Rees and Thursfield, 1965: 82, 194.— Millard, 1967: 172.

Oswaldaria conferta var. australis . — Stechow, 1923a: 11.

Oswaldaria conferta . — Stechow, 1923b: 147.— Leloup 1940: 15.— Picard, 1958: 193.— Marinopoulos, 1981: 176.

Acryptolaria conferta . — Totton, 1930: 164, figs 19a, b.— Kramp, 1932: 68, fig. 32.— Leloup, 1937: 4, 29, fig. 19.— Fraser, 1943: 90.— Fraser, 1944: 210, pl. 40 fig. 189.— Kramp, 1947: 8.— Fraser, 1948: 228.— Rossi, 1950: 201, fig. 4a.— Deevey, 1954: 270.— Kramp, 1963: 106.— Millard, 1964: 7, fig. 1A-C, E.— Millard, 1968: 253, 260.— Vervoort, 1968: 99.— Vervoort, 1972a: 41, fig. 12a.— Millard, 1973: 28, fig. 4c.— Millard, 1975: 169, fig. 56.— Millard, 1977b: 106.— Millard, 1978: 188.— Stepanjants, 1979: 51, pl. 9 figs 4A–G.— Millard, 1980: 131.— Hirohito, 1983: 6, 19.— Calder, 1991: 33, figs 19, 20.— El Beshbeeshy, 1991: 63, fig. 13.— Park, 1992: 287.— Boero and Bouillon, 1993: 263.— Calder, 1993: 67.— Blanco et al., 1994: 8, figs 4, 5.— Altuna Prados, 1995: 54.— Bouillon et al., 1995: 51.— Hirohito, 1995: 104.—Calder. 1997: 87.— Schuchert, 2001: 62, figs 48A, B.

Acryptolaria conferta var. conferta .— Ralph, 1958: 317.

Acryptolaria conferta australis Millard, 1964: 9 , figs 1D, F–G.— Vervoort 1966: 115, fig. 15.— Rees and Vervoort, 1987: 37, fig. 6e.

Acryptolaria conferta conferta . — Vervoort, 1985: 282.— Ramil and Vervoort 1992: 41, figs 7a, b.

Material examined. Stn 44, TM K2776, NMV F91317, many colonies on pebbles and primnoid gorgonian fragment; one colony consisting of 2 large stems (one stem fertile) and several simple stems, other colonies of several large infertile stems, specimens alcohol-preserved.

Description. Simple and branched colonies connected by hydrorhiza reptant on gorgonian. Larger branched colonies flabellate, up to 50 mm high and 35 mm wide, stems to 1 mm wide at base; colonies arising from a thick plug of stolons, simple stems from single stolons. Stem and branches of flabellate colonies heavily fascicled, with roughly longitudinal polysiphonic tubes running upwards from stem and along branches; ultimate parts of branches (hydrocladia) monosiphonic. Branching irregular, of up to 3 orders, branches given off behind a hydrotheca, best seen in distal parts of colony. Monosiphonic branches weakly geniculate, given off from behind a hydrotheca.

Hydrothecae biseriate, alternate, scarcely overlapping, often frontally directed; on monosiphonic branches biseriate arrangement of hydrothecae sometimes replaced by incipient whorls of three around hydrocladium; on fascicled parts of stem and branches hydrothecae often not strictly alternate, immersed in polysiphonic tubes with only distal part or margin visible. Hydrocladial hydrothecae long, tubular, bending outwards at an angle of 40–50° to hydrocladial axis; adcauline wall convex, often a slight change in convexity where wall becomes free; free part about same length as adnate part, hydrotheca narrowing proximally along adnate wall, sometimes fading into a ragged septum. Abcauline wall curving smoothly into hydrocladium, usually a transverse ring of desmocytes just above narrowest part of hydrotheca, marking site of attachment of hydranth. Margin circular, rim transverse to hydrothecal axis, slightly but distinctly everted; up to seven marginal replications common. Perisarc of stem and branches firm, thinning a little on hydrotheca. Hydranths too poorly preserved for description.

Coppinia situated about halfway up stem, spreading for 10 mm along a branch and 5 mm along adjoining stem; coppinia cylindrical, diameter 2 mm, texture rather spongy. Gonothecae radially arranged within coppinia around polysiphonic tubes of stem and branch; flask-shaped, sides more or less straight, conjoined to neighbours, expanding from narrow base to a rounded shoulder surmounted by an erect tubular neck narrowing into a circular non-everted terminal orifice. No protective tubules present. Small spherical planulae visible in some gonothecae. Colour. Colony translucent honey-gold; hydranths probably of same colour; gonophores creamy pink. Measurements (µm)

Branch distance between hydrothecae on same side of branch 980–1160 width of hydrocladium at junction of free and adnate adcauline wall 144–192

Hydrotheca length of free adcauline wall including marginal replications 712–860 length of adnate adcauline wall to desmocyte ring 200–400 diameter at margin 184–200

Coppinia overall length of gonotheca 520–528 width of gonotheca across shoulder 136–192 length of gonothecal terminal neck 96–160 diameter of gonothecal terminal orifice 44–48

Distribution. Moderate to deeper waters of all oceans ( Vervoort and Watson, 2003).

Remarks. The verticil of three hydrothecae occasionally present on monosiphonic hydrocladia approaches the generic definition of Cryptolarella Stechow, 1913 in which the hydrothecae may be triserially disposed around the stem. I cannot find in the literature any mention of the more consistent feature in the present specimens of the frontally directed hydrothecae, all descriptions reporting hydrothecae either lying in the plane of ramification or exceptionally, backwardly or forwardly directed at the base of each new hydrocladium ( Ramil and Vervoort, 1992). However, as the colonies conform in all other respects with Acryptolaria conferta , the material is presently assigned to that species.

Figures

Figures 11A–D. Acryptolaria conferta, stn 44. A, colony with coppinia on stems and branch. B, hydrothecae. C, distal end of branch. D, lateral section through part of coppinia. Scale bar: A, 10 mm; B, 1 mm; C, D, 0.5 mm.