Turritopsis fascicularis Fraser, 1943a

Calder, Dale R. & Choong, Henry H. C., 2018, Names of hydroids (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) established by Charles McLean Fraser (1872 - 1946), excluding those from Allan Hancock Expeditions, Zootaxa 4487 (1), pp. 1-83 : 10

Turritopsis fascicularis Fraser, 1943a

Oceania armata Kölliker, 1853: 323 .

Turritopsis fascicularis Fraser, 1943a: 76 , pl. 15, figs. 1a, b.

Holotype. MCZ-IZ 9005: USA, Florida, off Alligator Reef , Steamer Bibb Sta. 192, 24°41’45”N, 80°27’45”W, 216 m, 0 8 May 1867, one fragmentary colony, in poor condition, with hydranths and medusa buds deteriorated, coll. L.F. de Pourtalès, labelled “ type ”; formalin, about to be transferred to ethanol.

Type locality. USA, Florida: off Alligator Reef , 24°41’45”N, 80°27’45”W, 118 fm (216 m) ( Fraser 1943a).

Current status. Invalid.

Remarks. Fraser (1943a) failed to designate a name-bearing type in describing Turritopsis fascicularis . The species was described from a hydroid collection sent to him for identification from the MCZ, and a fragmentary specimen labelled “ type ” exists in collections at the museum (MCZ-IZ 9005). No other type material of T. fascicularis is known to exist. Fraser’s original description implies that the species was described from a single colony (“Colony consisting of a massive, fascicled stem, 6 cm ….”), taken here to be the holotype by monotypy. The type specimen appears to have been in relatively good condition at the time it was described, comprising an intact hydrocaulus with well-preserved hydranths and medusa buds ( Fraser 1943a, pl. 15, figs. 1a, b). It is now in multiple fragments and in poor condition, with no clearly distinguishable hydranths or gonophores. Conflicting collection data exist on labels with the hydroid, with one indicating “ May 8, 1867 ” and another “ May 8 1869 ”. The earlier date, as given in the online catalogue of the MCZ, has been followed here.

Miglietta (2016) redescribed this species and provided 16S sequence data based on putative conspecifics from the Gulf of Mexico. From her analyses, Schuchert (2016) determined that T. fascicularis was indistinguishable from Oceania armata Kölliker, 1853 based on DNA sequence data, and he placed the two names in synonymy.