Symplectoscyphus sp.

Galea, Horia R., 2007, Hydroids and hydromedusae (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from the fjords region of southern Chile, Zootaxa 1597 (1), pp. 1-116 : 74-75

Symplectoscyphus sp.

(fig. 17H–L, table 29)

Material examined. Stn. CHL 02 —04.iii.2005, 13– 20 m, S79: several sterile colonies about 1.5 cm high; on polychaete tube. Stn. CCO — 09.iii. 2006, 18 m, S144: several sterile colonies, up to 3 cm high, epizoic on Synthecium robustum .

Description. Material from Stn. CCO, S14: colony quite fragmentary, epizoic on Synthecium robustum . Stems arising at more or less regular intervals from a creeping and tortuous stolon. Stems erect, straight, monosiphonic, up to 3 cm high; some branched. Auto-epizoism quite frequent. Stems and, when present, side branches divided into internodes by oblique constrictions of perisarc; internodes short, of quite equal length, but always inferior to that of adnate side of hydrotheca; internodes following each other in a straight line. Mode of branching peculiar: origin of side branches situated below stem hydrothecae, branches springing perpendicularly to plane of stem, directed towards front of colony, not laterally as in other species of Symplectoscyphus (see figure 17I); therefore, stem hydrothecae do not become axillar. Hydrothecae biseriate, alternate, coplanar, situated on distal end of each internode. Free abcauline wall much longer than its corresponding adnate part; straight or slightly convex. Abcauline wall convex, with inflexion point in its middle. Rim often renovated and slightly everted, especially on adcauline side; with three triangular cusps (one adcauline and two laterals) with pointed apex, delimiting three relatively deep, rounded embayments. Closing apparatus composed of three triangular flaps. Perisarc transparent, thick on internodes, thinner on hydrothecae. Gonothecae absent.

Remarks. This species ressembles S. interruptus (Pfeffer, 1889) , as depicted by Hartlaub (1905, p. 634, fig. Z 3).

Hydroid epibionts. Bougainvillia pyramidata ( Forbes & Goodsir, 1851) ; Hydractinia pacifica Hartlaub, 1905 ; Phialella cf. quadrata ( Forbes, 1848) ; Sertularella robusta Coughtrey, 1876 ; Parascyphus repens (Jäderholm, 1904) ; Orthopyxis mollis ( Stechow, 1919) ; Clytia linearis ( Thornely, 1900) .

Records from Chile. The present material was collected from Isla de Chiloé and Canal Copihue.