Cryptolarella Stechow, 1913a

Marques, Antonio C., Peña Cantero, Alvaro L. & Migotto, Alvaro E., 2005, Revision of the genus Cryptolarella Stechow, 1913 (Lafoeidae, Leptothecata, Hydrozoa), Journal of Natural History 39 (9), pp. 709-722 : 710-711

Genus Cryptolarella Stechow, 1913a

Cryptolarella Stechow 1913a: 138 ; 1923: 147; Millard 1975: 172.

Type species: Cryptolarella abyssicola ( Allman 1888) , as Cryptolaria abyssicola Allman 1888 , by subsequent designation by Stechow (1923: 147).

Diagnosis

Colonies erect, without a definite pattern of ramification, with a creeping hydrorhiza. Hydrothecae sessile, tubular, arising singly from stem and branches, irregularly placed in several planes, curving outwards, with varied proportion between adnate and free adcauline part. Operculum, diaphragm and nematothecae absent. Gonothecae solitary, arising on stem and primary branches.

Remarks

The genus Cryptolarella was erected by Stechow (1913a: 138) to hold the species of Cryptolaria without coppinia or scapus, originally including the species Cryptolaria abyssicola Allman, 1888 and Cryptolaria diffusa Allman, 1888 . Stechow (1913a: 138) also considered another species as Cryptolarella , Cryptolaria conferta Allman, 1877 in the sense of Quelch (1885: 3, Plate 2 Figure 1 ) and not in the original sense of Allman (1877). More recently, Lafoea contorta Nutting, 1905 was referred to Cryptolarella by Vervoort (1966), although previous authors (e.g. Stechow 1913a, 1913b; Yamada 1959: 51) assigned it to the genus Filellum Hincks 1868 , an opinion followed by subsequent authors (e.g. Hirohito 1995; Peña Cantero et al. 1998). Vervoort (1966) also considered Cryptolaria humilis Allman, 1888 conspecific with Cryptolarella abyssicola . Finally, Vervoort (1972: 47–48) transferred Cryptolaria flabellum Allman, 1888 to the genus Cryptolarella . Therefore, six specific names were historically associated with the genus Cryptolarella .

Originally Stechow (1913a) did not assign a type species of Cryptolarella , doing this later ( Stechow 1923: 147) when he selected Cryptolaria abyssicola Allman, 1888 as the type species of the genus. Among the three species considered by him into Cryptolarella , Cryptolaria conferta , in its original conception by Allman (1877), is currently referred to Acryptolaria , as Acryptolaria conferta ( Allman 1877) (see Totton 1930). However, the specimen assigned to Cryptolaria conferta by Quelch (1885) represents, indeed, a Cryptolarella . We do not re-describe this species but tentatively include it in a list of synonyms of C. abyssicola below. The other species previously assigned to Cryptolarella by Stechow are re-described and discussed below.

Figures

Figure 1. Cryptolarella abyssicola (Allman, 1888). (A) Fertile colony (Eltanin St. 27/1948); (B) gonotheca on stem (Eltanin St. 10/848); (C) hydrotheca with polyp inside; (D) hydrothecal aperture; (E) arising hydrotheca; (F) distal part of gonotheca (C–F from BMNH 1888.11.13.26). Scale bars: 2.0 mm (A); 1.0 mm (B, D); 0.3 mm (C, E, F).