Ventromma halecioides ( Alder, 1859 )

Calder, Dale R., 2019, On a collection of hydroids (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) from the southwest coast of Florida, USA, Zootaxa 4689 (1), pp. 1-141 : 105-107

Ventromma halecioides ( Alder, 1859)

Figs. 23h, i

Plumularia halecioide s Alder, 1859: 353, pl. 12, figs. 1–5.— Van Gemerden-Hoogeveen, 1965: 64.

Plumularia mermis .— Wallace, 1909: 136 [incorrect subsequent spelling].

Ventromma halecioides .— Leloup, 1935a: 51.

Plumularia inermis .— Shier, 1965: 62, pl. 34.

Type locality. UK: England, Cullercoats and Roker ( Alder 1859: 353) .

Material examined. Fort Myers Beach, Salty Sam’s Marina, 26°27’21.7”N, 81°56’34.6”W, on floating dock on oyster shell, <0.1 m, 19 C, 05 February 2018, one colony, 1.1 cm high, without gonophores, coll. D. Calder, ROMIZ B4394.— Sanibel Island , beach at Lighthouse Point, 26°26’55”N, 82°01’08”W, on detached Syringodium in water along shore, 21° C, 34.5‰, 19 March 2018, one colony, 9 mm high, without gonothecae, coll. D. Calder, ROMIZ B4395 .— Fort Myers Beach , Salty Sam’s Marina, 26°27’21.7”N, 81°56’34.6”W, on floating dock on oyster shell, <0.1 m, 20° C, 33‰, 24 March 2018, one large colony, in several pieces, 1.7 cm high, without gonophores, coll. D. Calder, ROMIZ B4396 .

Remarks. Ventromma halecioides is a species of tropical and warm-temperate waters, with a range in the western Atlantic from North Carolina ( Fraser 1912b, as Plumularia inermis ) to Brazil ( Oliveira et al. 2016). As reflected in the distribution records below, it is particularly widespread in the Caribbean region. It is also thought to be widespread in warm water regions elsewhere in the Atlantic, as well as in the Pacific and Indian oceans ( Calder 2013; Humara-Gil & Cruz-Gómez 2018). Within the Atlantic Ocean at least, the phylograms of Maronna et al. (2016) show little genetic distance between populations of this species from France and Brazil.

An extensive synonymy, detailed description, and discussion of this species has been given by Ansín Agís et al. (2001, as Kirchenpaueria halecioides ). As reviewed elsewhere ( Calder 2013), molecular evidence now lends support for recognition of Ventromma Stechow, 1923b as distinct from Kirchenpaueria Jickeli, 1883 , and for recognition of this species under the binomen V. halecioides . Plumularia inermis Nutting, 1900 , originally described from the Bahamas and recognized as valid by Fraser (1944), is taken to be conspecific.

Colonies of the hydroid stage of V. halecioides are quite small and usually found in shallow, sheltered inshore waters. Its gonophores, thought earlier to be fixed sporosacs (Calder 1997), are liberated as free-swimming medusoids ( Galea 2018).

Reported distribution. Gulf coast of Florida. Dry Tortugas ( Wallace 1909: 136, as Plumularia mermis ; Leloup 1935a: 51; Van Gemerden-Hoogeveen 1965: 65, as Plumularia halecioides ).—Cape San Blas area, on ascidians & oysters ( Shier 1965: 62, as Plumularia inermis ).

Elsewhere in western North Atlantic. Bahamas: Exuma, Barracuda Rocks (=Barracouta Rocks) ( Nutting 1900: 63, as Plumularia inermis ).— USA: North Carolina, Bogue Bank, on Turbinaria ( Fraser 1912b: 382, as Plumularia inermis ).— Bermuda: Fairyland Creek, on Thalassia ( Bennitt 1922: 255, as Plumularia inermis ).— Bermuda: Hamilton Harbour, on floating buoy ( Bennitt 1922: 252, as Antennularia pinnata ).— Bonaire: Klein Bonaire, west coast, 0.3 m, on algae ( Leloup 1935a: 51).— Bonaire: Lac, 0.2–0.8 m, on dead branch, Rhizophora , and Thalassia + lagoon, 0.3–0.8 m, on Rhizophora and Sargassum ( Leloup 1935a: 51) .— Aruba: Boca Prins, on Sargassum ( Leloup 1935a: 51) .— Curaçao: Boca Grandi, on stranded Sargassum + Plaja Hoeloe (Playa Hulu), near low tide, on coral debris + Piscadera Baai, near low tide, various substrates ( Van Gemerden-Hoogeveen 1965: 64, as Plumularia halecioides ).— Bonaire: Klein Bonaire, east coast landing, near low tide, on sponge + De Hoop, near high tide + Punt Vierkant, 1–2 m, on algae + Lac Poejito, near low tide, on wood & Thalassia + Lac Cay, tidal zone, on wood and algae + Lagoen, near low tide, on wood and rock ( Van Gemerden-Hoogeveen 1965: 64, as Plumularia halecioides ).— Venezuela: Tortuga, SW coast, near low tide, on Rhizophora and coral debris ( Van Gemerden-Hoogeveen 1965: 65, as Plumularia halecioides ).— Antigua and Barbuda: Barbuda, Martello Tower Beach, near low tide, on algae ( Van Gemerden-Hoogeveen 1965: 65, as Plumularia halecioides ).— St. Kitts and Nevis: St. Kitts, Frigate Bay, near low tide, on algae and sponge ( Van Gemerden-Hoogeveen 1965: 65, as Plumularia halecioides ).— Sint Eustatius: Gallows Bay, 1–2 m ( Van Gemerden-Hoogeveen 1965: 65, as Plumularia halecioides ).— Sint Maarten: Great Bay, on wood + Simson Lagoon, near low tide, on Rhizophora and algae ( Van Gemerden-Hoogeveen 1965: 65, as Plumularia halecioides ).— Virgin Islands of the United States: St. Croix, Krause Lagoon, near low tide, on Thalassia + St. John, bay south of Cruz Bay, near low tide, on Sargassum ( Van Gemerden-Hoogeveen 1965: 65, as Plumularia halecioides ).— Bahamas: North Bimini, on pelagic Sargassum ( Van Gemerden-Hoogeveen 1965: 65, as Plumularia halecioides ).— Venezuela: Higuerote ( Hirohito 1974: 45).— Colombia: Santa Marta area ( Wedler 1975: 332, as Plumularia halecoides ; Bandel & Wedler 1987: 42, as Plumularia halecoides ).— Belize: Carrie Bow Cay ( Spracklin 1982: 246, as Plumularia haleciodes ).— Colombia, Bahía de Cartagena ( Flórez González 1983: 121, as Plumularia halecioides ).— Belize: Twin Cays, shallow water, on Rhizophora , Sargassum , Turbinaria , algae, hydroids, molluscs, wooden test panels ( Calder 1991b: 223; 1991c: 2068).— Belize: South Water Cay, on Thalassia ( Kaehler & Hughes 1992: 331) .— Colombia: Bahía de Chengue, on Rhizophora ( Reyes & Campos 1992: 108, as Plumularia halecioides ).— Bermuda: Ferry Reach, 0.5 m, on rope + Whalebone Bay, 1 m, on Thalassia + Castle Harbour near Tucker’s Town, 5 m, patch reef + Green Bay, 1 m, on algae + Walsingham Bay, 0.5 m, on Rhizophora + Pilchard Bay, 0.5 m, on Rhizophora (Calder 1997: 5) .— Cuba: Ciudad de La Habana province, Cojimar, on Sargassum ( Ortiz 2001a: 64, as Plumularia cf. halecioides ).— USA: Florida, Biscayne Bay ( Jones 2002: 218).— Panama: Colón, Fort Sherman dock, marina, 09°20’57”N, 79°54’10”W, 0–2 m + Colón, Isla Margareta, Fort Randolph, shore, 09°23’15”N, 79°53’11”W, 0–1 m + Portobelo Harbor, dock, 09°33’14”N, 79°39’34”W, 0–1 m + Bocas del Toro area, Cayo Solarte Sud, 09°18’45.3”N, 82°12’46.6”W, 2–3 m + Bocas del Toro area, Drago 2, mangrove, 1–2 m ( Calder & Kirkendale 2005: 482).—French Lesser Antilles: Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, E of Saint François, 16°15’18.00”N, 61°14’37.00”W, on Thalassia + Basse-Terre, N of Malendure, 16°10’25.00”N, 61°46’58.00”W, on algae + Basse-Terre, Petite Anse, 16°05’47.00”N, 61°46’17.00”W, on algae ( Galea 2008: 44, as Kirchenpaueria halecioides ).—French Lesser Antilles: Les Saintes, Terre-de-Haut, Pompierre Bay, 15°52’25”N, 61°34’15”W, on Halimeda + Terre-de-Haut, Pain de Sucre, 15°51’45”N, 61°35’60”W, on algae ( Galea 2008: 44, as Kirchenpaueria halecioides ).—French Lesser Antilles: Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, harbor of Port-Louis, 16°24.720’N, 61°31.910’W, 0.2 m ( Galea 2010: 4, as Kirchenpaueria halecioides ).—French Lesser Antilles: Les Saintes, Terrede-Haut, Pointe Morel, 15°53.050’N, 61°34.410’W, 6–11 m ( Galea 2010: 5, as Kirchenpaueria halecioides ).— Cuba: Golfo de Batabanó, Cayo Real, Cayería San Felipe, on rocks ( Castellanos-Iglesias et al. 2011: 24).—French Lesser Antilles: Martinique, Case-Pilote, Anse Batterie, 14.643113, -61.141711 ( Galea 2013: 14).— USA: Florida, Fort Pierce, ship canal at Link Port, 27°32’05”N, 80°20’50”W, on Rhizophora , 0.1 m ( Calder 2013: 45).—Caribbean Sea ( Wedler 2017b: 158, figs. 197, 198, as Kirchenpaueria halecioides ).— Mexico: Alacranes Reef, on Thalassia ( Mendoza-Becerril et al. 2018b: 130, as Kirchenpaueria halecioides ).— Cuba: Havana, coral reef system west of the city (Castellanos et al. 2018: Supplementary Table S2).— Panama: Bocas del Toro area, STRI (Smithsonian Tropical Research Station) docks/weather station + Punta Hospital + near Bocatorito Bay ( Miglietta et al. 2018b: 108, as Kirchenpaueria halecioides ).

Figures

FIGURE 23. a, Halopteris alternata: part of a hydrocaulus with proximal end of a hydrocladium, Fort Myers Beach, ROMIZ B4400. Scale equals 0.1 mm. b, Halopteris alternata: part of a hydrocladium with two hydrothecae, Fort Myers Beach, ROMIZ B4400. Scale equals 0.1 mm. c, Halopteris alternata: part of hydrocaulus of an “Antennella form” with a developing hydrocladium, Fort Myers Beach, ROMIZ B4400. Scale equals 0.1 mm. d, Halopteris clarkei: part of hydrocaulus with proximal ends of two hydrocladia, Southwest Florida Shelf, ROMIZ B2097. Scale equals 0.1 mm. e, Halopteris clarkei: hydrocladial hydrotheca and nematothecae, Southwest Florida Shelf, ROMIZ B2097. Scale equals 0.1 mm. f, Halopteris clarkei: male gonotheca with a nematotheca, Southwest Florida Shelf, ROMIZ B2097. Scale equals 0.05 mm. g, Monostaechas quadridens: part of colony with a hydrotheca and nematothecae, Southwest Florida Shelf, ROMIZ B2100. Scale equals 0.1 mm. h, Ventromma halecioides: part of hydrocaulus with a hydrocladium, Sanibel Island, ROMIZ B4395. Scale equals 0.2 mm. i, Ventromma halecioides: part of hydrocaulus with proximal end of a hydrocladium, Sanibel Island, ROMIZ B4395. Scale equals 0.1 mm.