Filifera Kühn, 1913

Calder, Dale R., 2010, Some anthoathecate hydroids and limnopolyps (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) from the Hawaiian archipelago 2590, Zootaxa 2590 (1), pp. 1-91 : 8-9

Suborder Filifera Kühn, 1913

Filifera Kühn, 1913: 227 .

Diagnosis. Anthoathecate hydroids with hydranth tentacles filiform, not capitate or moniliform (an exception is Ptilocodiidae Coward, 1909 , having dactylozooids with or usually with capitate tentacles).

Gonophores fixed sporosacs, eumedusoids, or medusae. Medusae, when present, with mouth surrounded by four lips or, if mouth is round and lacks lips, with oral tentacles on or above rim; gonads on manubrium, usually subdivided into perradial, interradial, or adradial masses.

Cnidome usually including desmonemes and euryteles; stenoteles absent.

Remarks. Representatives of the suborder Filifera Kühn, 1913 are distinguished by having filiform tentacles and a cnidome usually including desmonemes and euryteles, but lacking stenoteles. The group is apparently not monophyletic ( Daly et al. 2007; Cartwright et al. 2008). It was assigned to the rank of order and subdivided into two suborders (Margelina Haeckel, 1879 and Pandeida Haeckel, 1879) by Bouillon & Boero (2000) and Bouillon et al. (2006) based on differences in attributes of the medusa stage. That classification has not been followed in revisions of European Filifera by Schuchert (2004, 2007, 2008a, b). Meanwhile, ideas about phylogeny of the group continue to evolve, and classification will gradually follow. For example, Cartwright et al. (2008) recognized four separate clades in Filifera : Filifera I comprising Eudendriidae L. Agassiz, 1862 ; Filifera II comprising the genera Fabienna Schuchert, 1996 , Proboscidactyla Brandt, 1835 , Brinckmannia Schuchert & Reiswig, 2006 , and Hydrichthella Stechow, 1909 ; Filifera III comprising Hydractiniidae L. Agassiz, 1862 and Stylasteridae Gray, 1847 ; and Filifera IV comprising Dicoryne Allman, 1859 + Bougainvilliidae Lütken, 1850 + Oceaniidae Eschscholtz, 1829 + Pandeidae Haeckel, 1879 + Rathkeidae Russell, 1953 (with the four included families forming a group termed “Gonoproxima,” all having gonophores on hydrocauli, pedicels, or stolons rather than on the hydranth body column).

Currently included in Filifera are 22 families and about 765 species ( Daly et al. 2007).