Carybdea morandinii, Straehler-Pohl, Ilka & Jarms, Gerhard, 2011

Straehler-Pohl, Ilka & Jarms, Gerhard, 2011, Morphology and life cycle of Carybdea morandinii, sp. nov. (Cnidaria), a cubozoan with zooxanthellae and peculiar polyp anatomy, Zootaxa 2755, pp. 36-56 : 39

Carybdea morandinii , sp. nov.

Holotype — one preserved cubopolyp, from a culture established from specimens obtained in a saltwater tank at Hagenbecks Tierpark, Hamburg, Germany, and originally from east Asia, deposited in collections of the Zoologisches Institut und Zoologisches Museum, Universität Hamburg ( ZMH) No.C.11999.

Paratype series —20 preserved, fully developed cubopolyps with buds, 10 preserved cubopolyps without buds, one young medusa, and five preserved creeping cubopolyps, ZMH No.C.11750.

Type locality — On coral rock, originally from east Asia, in a seawater tank at Hagenbecks Tierpark (Zoo), Hamburg, Germany.

Additional material – living polyps under cultivation in our laboratory.

Etymology — The specific name “ morandinii ” honours Dr. André Carrara Morandini, a well known Medusozoa morphologist and taxonomist. Dr. Morandini was working as a guest researcher in our laboratory when the species was discovered. His knowledge of Cubozoa helped determine that the cubopolyps likely represented a new species.

Diagnosis