Some shallow-water hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from the central east coast of Florida, USA

Abstract

This paper gives a systematic account of 67 species, referable to 22 families and 40 genera, identified in a small collection of hydroids from the central Atlantic coast of Florida between Melbourne and Palm Beach. The fauna mostly comprises an assemblage of tropical western Atlantic species ranging northwards along the southeastern coast of the United States. One new species, Lafoea intorta, is described. Applying Reversal of Precedence provisions in zoological nomenclature, the widely-used generic name Halopteris Allman, 1877 is designated as valid and as a nomen protectum, while its virtually unused senior synonym Halicornaria Hincks, 1865 (not Halicornaria Allman, 1874) is reduced to a nomen oblitum. The genus Pasya Stechow, 1922 is resurrected for the hydroid generally known as Dynamena quadridentata (Ellis & Solander, 1786). Laomedea tottoni Leloup, 1935 is shown to be a junior objective synonym of Clytia fragilis Congdon, 1907, which in turn is a junior subjective synonym of Clytia linearis (Thornely, 1900). Obelia oxydentata Stechow, 1914 is recognized as distinct from O. bidentata Clark, 1875. Hincksella brevitheca Galea, 2009, first described from Cuba, is reported for only the second time; records of the species are added here from Grand Cayman Island and the Caribbean coast of Panama as well as from the Atlantic coast of Florida. Also reported for the second time is Antennella incerta Galea, 2010, previously known only from Guadeloupe in the Caribbean Sea. The true Halopteris diaphana (Heller, 1868), known from the Mediterranean Sea and from Brazil, is reported for the first time from the western North Atlantic. Earlier records of the species in the region are based on misidentifications of H. alternata (Nutting, 1900). Male gonothecae of Halecium calderi Galea, 2010 are reported and illustrated for the first time.

Modern alongside traditional taxonomy—Integrative systematics of the genera Gymnangium Hincks, 1874 and Taxella Allman, 1874 (Hydrozoa, Aglaopheniidae)

“…monosiphonic stem (similar to other Gymnangium ) but elongated hydrotheca, not bent or folded, without abcauline intrathecal septum (resembling Taxella ). Because the present 16S data as well as an earlier analysis of Postaire et al [33] clearly indicate a polyphyly of the genus Gymnangium sensu Bouillon et al [4] we prefer to separate the Gymnangium species of Clade A into a different genus, and for which there is conveniently already a name available, Taxella Allman, 1874.…”

Additions to the hydroids (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) of the Bay of Fundy, northeastern North America, with a checklist of species reported from the region

“…Detailed information also appeared in the monograph on gymnoblastic hydroids by Allman (1872: 223-226 and 290-292, as Gemmaria implexa). A contemporary synonymy of Z. implexa is given in , and the nomenclatural status of the genus name Zanclea has been discussed earlier (Calder , 1992(Calder , 2013. According to Cornelius & Garfath (1980), syntype material of the species exists at the Hancock Museum (now the Great North Museum: Hancock), Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.…”

First Record of Porpita porpita (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from the coral reef ecosystem, Bangladesh

“…Even knowledge of hydrozoan species in this area remains at a basic level and is incomplete due to a lack of general interest in studying the science of taxonomy and systematics. However, P. porpita can be carried to the Bangladesh coast by strong southwest monsoon winds, as observed in other places (see Calder 2013). In addition, their occurrence may be related to higher water temperature and salinity resulting from global warming (Edwards and Richardson 2004;Richardson and Schoeman 2004;Oiso et al 2005), but the detailed mechanism involved has not been identified.…”