Solanderia misakinensis ( Inaba, 1892 )

Calder, Dale R., 2010, Some anthoathecate hydroids and limnopolyps (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) from the Hawaiian archipelago 2590, Zootaxa 2590 (1), pp. 1-91 : 62

Solanderia misakinensis ( Inaba, 1892)

Figs. 41, 42

Dendrocryne misakii Inaba, 1892: 97 , figs. 106–110 [Dendrocryne an inadvertent error for Dendrocoryne ].

Solanderia misakinensis .— Cooke, 1977: 75, figs. 2, 3.

Type locality. Japan: Misaki ( Inaba 1892) .

Material examined. Oahu: off Halona Blowhole, under ledge, 7 m, one fragmentary colony, 5.7 cm high, with hydranths and gonophores, RMNH 3575.

Description. Fragment of hydroid colony erect, robust, shrubby, branched in one plane, 5.7 cm high, 2.3 wide, cut off at base. Hydrocaulus and hydrocladia thick, gradually thinning distally, irregularly round in cross-section, comprising a woody, spongy, trabecular network of chitinous fibers permeated by and overlaid with naked coenosarc; chitinous spines present, hydrophores absent. Spines slender, fragile, of varied length, abundant on hydrocaulus and hydrocladia. Hydranths arising from coenosarc, most frequent on opposite sides of hydrocladia, clavate with dome-shaped to flattened hypostome, about 0.5 mm high; oral region with a whorl of 4 capitate tentacles; body with a varied number (ca. 10–14) of scattered capitate tentacles. In ethanolpreserved material, older and thicker parts of colony brown, perisarc reddish orange under microscope; younger and distalmost parts golden; coenosarc, hydranths, and sporosacs white.

Gonophores fixed sporosacs arising singly from coenosarc adjacent to hydranths, usually occurring amongst hydranths on opposite sides of hydrocladia; tentacles undeveloped.

Remarks. There has been confusion over spelling of the specific name of this species. In the original description of Inaba (1892) it was spelled misakii . The name was modified to misakinensis by Goto (1897), and that spelling was adopted by Stechow (1909, 1923a), Bedot (1918, 1925), Jäderholm (1919), Vervoort (1962), and most subsequent authors. The name has also been spelled misakiensis, most notably by Hirohito (1988). In a revision of the genus Solanderia Duchassaing & Michelin, 1846 , Bouillon et al. (1992) discussed the species under the name S. misakinensis , but in their key it was spelled misakiensis. Although different from the original spelling (as misakii ), misakinensis is in prevailing usage as reflected in the synonymy list in Bouillon et al. (1992), is herein deemed to be the correct original spelling, and is attributed to Inaba (1892) [ICZN Art. 33.3.1].

Bouillon et al. (1992) did not mention Cooke’s (1977) report of Solanderia misakinensis from Hawaii, giving the distribution of the species as Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and Russia (Sea of Japan). The record from New Zealand was shown by Schuchert (1996) to have been based on a misidentification. Material reported by Cooke from Oahu was identified by Willem Vervoort, and the record has been confirmed as valid on re-examination here. The absence of hydrophores, the distinctive reticulated perisarc of the skeleton, and the numerous perisarcal spines on hydrocaulus and hydrocladia distinguish S. misakinensis from S. secunda ( Inaba, 1892) . Although colony form is a variable character, that of S. misakinensis examined here is coarser, and its height to width ratio greater, than S. secunda from Hawaii. The overall form more closely resembles that of certain octocorals.

Reported distribution. Hawaii. Oahu: Halona Blowhole , under ledge, ca. 7 m ( Cooke 1977) .

Worldwide. Hawaii ( Cooke 1977); Japan, Korea, Russia (Sea of Japan) ( Bouillon et al. 1992); 2– 100 m.