Plumularia floridana Nutting, 1900

Mendoza-Becerril, María A., Estrada-González, Mariae C., Mazariegos-Villarreal, Alejandra, Restrepo-Avendaño, Luisa, Villar-Beltrán, Rogelio D., Agüero, José & Cunha, Amanda F., 2020, Taxonomy and diversity of Hydrozoa (Cnidaria, Medusozoa) of La Paz Bay, Gulf of California, Zootaxa 4808 (1), pp. 1-37 : 17-19

Plumularia floridana Nutting, 1900

Figs. 6 F–J, 7A

Plumularia floridana Nutting 1900: 59 , pl. 2, figs. 4–5.— Fraser 1938a: 64.

Plumularia alicia Torrey 1902: 75 , pl.10, figs. 96–97.— Fraser 1938a: 62.— Fraser 1948: 275.— Salcedo-Martínez et al. (1988): 14.

Type locality. USA, two miles west of Cape Romano , Florida ( Nutting 1900) .

Material examined. Polyp—PB6_4, sampling site 2 (1), mature, female, on rock and Amphiroa sp.; PB7_22, sampling site 1 (1), mature, 27°C, on Sargassum sp., other algae, and acrylic structure; PB7_26, sampling site 1 (1), immature, 27°C, on rock and calcareous organisms; PB7_34, sampling site 2 (1), immature, 27°C, on Amphiroa beauvoisii J.V.Lamouroux ; PB7_36, sampling site 2 (1), immature, 27°C, on A. beauvoisii ; PB7_41, sampling site 2 (1), immature, 26.5°C, on rock and A. beauvoisii .

Description. Colonies erect, 5 to 7 mm high, arising from creeping hydrorhiza. Hydrocaulus monosiphonic, branched; medium and distal part of the hydrocaulus distinctly divided into regular internodes by transverse nodes; internodes 317.0– 381.5 µm long, 78.2–131.9 µm wide, usually straight but slightly curved distally; each internode with a distal apophysis (77.4–97.7 µm long) and typically with three nematothecae (61.8–107.1 long), two axillary and one median opposite to apophysis. Hydrocladia alternate, unbranched (854.2–1,495.6 µm long), inserted at an angle about 48–60° to the hydrocaulus; hydrocladia with alternate athecate and thecate internodes. Most proximal internode 49.4–63.6 µm long lacking hydrothecae and nematothecae, with a straight node proximally and an oblique node distally, followed by usually four pairs of alternating thecate and athecate internodes; thecate internodes 210.4–329.3 µm long, with proximal node oblique and distal node straight, one hydrotheca and three nematothecae: one median inferior (49.8–66.7 µm long), nearly reaching the base of hydrotheca, and two lateral (48.7–66.0 µm long), not reaching the margin of hydrotheca; athecate internodes 226.2–317.6 µm long with proximal node straight, distal node oblique and one median nematotheca. All nematothecae conical, bithalamic, and movable. Hydrotheca 150.0– 161.5 µm long, 143.5–172.6 µm wide, cup-shaped; adcauline wall slightly convex, two-thirds free from internode (79.2–97.2 µm long), while abcauline wall slightly convex basally and concave distally (112.1–133.7 µm long); margin entire, without intrathecal septum. Gonotheca oval, 140.2–153.4 µm wide, pedicel and gonotheca combined 204.7–254.2 µm long.

Nematocysts (length x diam.). Microbasic mastigophore (8.3–11.4 x 4.1–4.6 µm).

More detailed description in Calder (1983) and Calder (1997).

Taxonomic status. Accepted. AphiaID 117821.

Distribution. Species widely distributed in warm waters of all oceans ( Calder 1991a; Oliveira et al. 2016). In Mexican Pacific it was reported in Baja California (Cedros Island) ( Fraser 1938a, as P. alicia ), Baja California Sur (Natividad Island) ( Fraser 1948, as P. alicia ), Nayarit (Magdalena Island) ( Fraser 1948, as P. alicia ), Guerrero (Chololo, Godornia, Las Gatas, Manzanillo, and Morro Tierra) ( Salcedo-Martínez et al. 1988, as P. alicia ), and Oaxaca (Tangola-Tangola Bay) ( Fraser 1938a).

Figures

FIGURE 6. A–E Ventromma halecioides (Alder, 1859): A, erect colony; B, hydrocaulus; C, hydrocladia; D, gonothecae; E, nematocysts microbasic mastigophore. F–J Plumularia floridana Nutting, 1900: F, erect colony; G, hydrocaulus; H, hydrotheca and nematothecae; I, nematothecae between hydrocaulus and hydrocladia; J, male gonophore. Scale equals A—2 mm; B, G— 500 µm; C—100 µm; D—200 µm; E—13 µm; F—1 mm; H–J—50 µm.