Eudendrium

Galea, Horia R. & Schories, Dirk, 2012, Some hydrozoans (Cnidaria) from Central Chile and the Strait of Magellan, Zootaxa 3296, pp. 19-67 : 28

Eudendrium sp. 4

(pl. 1H)

Material examined. Stn. FSI — 06.i.2011, S29 (30 m): numerous sterile stems, up to 3 cm high, epizoic on Halecium pallens ; 08.i.2011, S06 (25 m): a sterile, 5 cm high colony, on dead portion of gorgonian (MHNG-INVE- 79606).

Description. Colonies up to 5 cm high, arising from creeping, branching, anastomosing hydrorhiza. Stems and basal part of branches polysiphonic. Branching irregular, in all directions, giving the colonies a bushy appearance; each branchlet rather long and straight, carrying a terminal hydranth. Perisarc smooth, except for basal part of side branches, provided with 5–8 wrinkles; occasional wrinkles may also be present in middle of hydranth pedicels. Hydranths typical of the genus, with basal groove delimiting lower part from main body; hypostome encircled by 19–28 filiform tentacles, but often 23–24 of these present. Gonophores absent. Nematocysts: microbasic euryteles in two size classes:

- small [(6.8–7.6)×(3.0–3.3) µm], pyriform capsules, abundant in tentacles, hydranth body and coenosarc of stem and branches;

- larger [(11.0–12.0)×(3.7–4.3) µm], elongated capsules, abundant in the lower third of hydranth body, also occurring in the coenosarc of stem and branches.

Distribution in Chile. Strait of Magellan (present study).