Capitata Kühn, 1913

Calder, Dale R., 2010, Some anthoathecate hydroids and limnopolyps (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) from the Hawaiian archipelago 2590, Zootaxa 2590 (1), pp. 1-91 : 43

Suborder Capitata Kühn, 1913

Capitata Kühn, 1913: 228 .

Diagnosis. Anthoathecate hydroids with some or all hydranth tentacles capitate or moniliform.

Gonophores fixed sporosacs, fixed or liberable eumedusoids, or medusae. Medusae, when present, with mouth usually simple, circular; gonads on manubrium, ordinarily surrounding it entirely.

Cnidome including stenoteles.

Remarks. Hydrozoans assigned to Capitata Kühn, 1913 are distinguished by having capitate or moniliform tentacles, and a cnidome that includes stenoteles. Major revisions of the group have been undertaken by Rees (1957a) and Petersen (1990), the latter providing a phylogenetic analysis. The suborder currently includes 26 families and about 375 species, but molecular evidence suggests that the suborder Capitata is paraphyletic and comprises two clades, Capitata sensu stricto and Aplanulata Collins, Winkelmann, Hadrys & Schierwater, 2005 ( Collins et al. 2005; Daly et al. 2007; Cartwright et al. 2008; Nawrocki et al. 2010). Although no formal redefinition of the Capitata has yet been proposed, the order of families herein reflects the two clades believed to exist within Capitata .