Mitrocomella grandis Kramp, 1965

Buecher, Emmanuelle, Goy, Jacqueline, J, Mark & Gibbons, 2005, Hydromedusae of the Agulhas Current, African Invertebrates 46, pp. 27-69 : 62-63

Mitrocomella grandis Kramp, 1965

Mitrocomella grandis: Kramp 1965: 57 , fig. 2; 1968: 72, fig. 189; Pagès et al. 1992: 30, fig. 32.

Description: Three specimens from two stations. Umbrella saucer-shaped, hemispherical, much broader than tall, without apical projection; up to 6.6 mm in diameter. Exumbrella surface smooth. Mesoglea thick centrally, thinning laterally. Velum narrow. Peripheral canal and four radial canals present; radial canals narrow, unbranched; without centripetal canals. With up to 220 marginal tentacles, similar, connected to peripheral canal, arising from small, slightly swollen bulbs on umbrella margin. Tentacles short, hollow, unbranched, filiform. Margin without atentaculate swellings or rudimentary bulbs; marginal cirri present, numerous, coiled. Tentacle bulbs without spurs, without excretory papillae or pores; lateral cirri absent. Manubrium cruciform, extending perradially, short and not reaching to velum, without perradial lobes, not connected to radial canals by mesenteries. Mouth simple, short, with four highly crenulated lips. Gastric peduncle absent. With 16 open statocysts. Without ocelli on tentacular bulbs. Four gonads, linear, may be sinuous, extend along subumbrella surface of radial canals for almost entire length, not reaching to manubrium.

Material examined: H5070.

Comments: Nine species are recognised as valid by Bouillon and Boero (2000 b), and Pagès et al. (1992) have tabulated the characteristic features of eight of these. Species can be distinguished by the number of marginal tentacles, by the shape and size of the manubrium and by the distribution and structure of the gonads. No other species have been recorded from the Indian Ocean.

Distribution: Temperate waters of Benguela Current. This is the first record from the Indian Ocean. Neritic.