Sertularella blanconae El Beshbeeshy, 2011

Galea, Horia R., Schories, Dirk, Försterra, Günter & Häussermann, Verena, 2014, New species and new records of hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from Chile, Zootaxa 3852 (1), pp. 1-50 : 32-33

Sertularella blanconae El Beshbeeshy, 2011

(Plate 3A; Figs 6C; 7B)

Material examined. HF11, Isla Level, lat. -44.47348, long. -74.20472, 24.xi.2011, 25 m, sample C128: fragmentary (up to 7 cm high) male colony, on dead gorgonian (MHNG-INVE-86244). HF11, Isla Teresa, lat. - 44.95713, long. -73.79447, 27.xi.2011, 21.6 m, sample C234: profuse, sterile colony with stems up to 16 cm high (MHNG-INVE-86243).

Remarks. In an earlier account ( Galea & Schories 2012a) only scarce, fragmentary, infertile specimens were available for description. The present material, especially sample C234, comprises large colonies, up to 16 cm high (Pl. 3A). The stems and side branches are polysiphonic for most of their length. The ramification is irregular, with the side branches arising from below a stem hydrotheca (or a higher order branch), either laterally (Fig. 6C) or slightly displaced towards the front or the rear side of the colony, giving it a general fan shaped appearance. The auxiliary tubes in the polysiphonic parts are rather tortuous and anastomose frequently. Sample C128 is a male colony and allows the first description17 of the gonotheca to be made. The gonothecae are typical of the genus: fusiform, lateral walls with up to 8 transverse ridges, of which the 5–6 distalmost are complete and prominent, while the remaining ones are fading off towards the base. The aperture is borne of the summit of a short, neck region, and is flanked by four blunt-ended projections of perisarc (Fig. 7B).

Distribution in Chile. Previous records are from the Strait of Magellan ( Galea & Schories 2012a), while the present material originates from Level and Teresa islands.

World records. See Galea & Schories (2012a).

PLATE 3. In situ colonies of Sertularella blanconae El Beshbeeshy, 2011 (A), Staurotheca jaederholmi Stechow, 1920 (F), and Aglaophenia divaricata (Busk, 1952) (G). Preserved colonies of Sertularella pauciramosa sp. nov. (B), Symplectoscyphus semper sp. nov. (C), Symplectoscyphus cf. subarticulatus ( Coughtrey, 1875) (D), and Symplectoscyphus sp. (E). Photos by H.R.G. (B‒E), G.F. & V.H. (A, F), and D.S. (G).