The case of Bougainvillia triestina Hartlaub 1911 (Hydrozoa, Cnidaria): a 100‐year‐long struggle for recognition

Abstract

Bougainvillia triestina was described by Hartlaub in 1911 from specimens collected in the Gulf of Trieste (North Adriatic, Italy). Two years later, after re-examination of the same specimens, Neppi & Stiasny (1913) concluded that these were in fact juvenile medusae of Bougainvillia autumnalis (now synonymized with Bougainvillia muscus). Based on unique morphological traits and genetic analyses (16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, COI) of specimens of different stages recently collected in the shallow and enclosed coastal area of Ploče Harbour and Mali Ston Bay (South Adriatic, Croatia), we can confirm, 100 years after its first description, B. triestina as a valid, distinct species, clearly distinguishable from B. muscus (Allman 1863). Based on its occurrence in the Adriatic Sea, B. triestina seems to prefer productive coastal areas with a wide range of temperatures and salinities. Therefore, we expect that this species inhabits other coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea as well as those of other seas and oceans. Given this, it is probable that in previous investigations some records of B. triestina were incorrectly attributed to B. muscus.

Marine Invertebrate Neoextinctions: An Update and Call for Inventories of Globally Missing Species

“…(1) Eucheilota maasi Neppi and Stiasny, 1911, described as an endemic in the Adriatic Sea [40,41], last collected in 1914, and known only from its medusa. However, Batistic and Garic [42] report medusae identified as E. maasi from the Adriatic Sea based on 2011-2012 collections, indicating that, if correctly identified, it is still extant.…”