Nausithoe simplex ( Kirkpatrick, 1890 )

Molinari, Clarissa G., Collins, Allen G. & Morandini, André C., 2023, A morphological review of the jellyfish genus Nausithoe Kölliker, 1853 (Nausithoideae, Coronatae, Scyphozoa, Cnidaria), Zootaxa 5336 (1), pp. 1-32 : 23

Nausithoe simplex ( Kirkpatrick, 1890)

( Fig. 15 : A–B)

Stephanoscyphus simplex Kirkpatrick, 1890: 14 , pl. III.

Stephanoscyphistoma simplex — Jarms, 1990: 11.

Nausithoe simplex — Morandini & Jarms, 2012: 62–63 , figs 1–4.

Lectotype NHM 1878.3.26.11a.

Material examined: NHM 1878.3.26.11a, b, d.

Diagnosis: polyp—solitary with 1 whorl of 4 cusps.

Description: Based on original description, and Morandini & Jarms (2012). Only known from the polyp stage. Polyp 4.56 mm in total length; a single series with 4 internal quadratic cusps.

Type locality: S of Greenland (56°11’N 37°41’W), ~ 2650m depth .

Distribution: Only known from type locality.

Remarks: The precise identification of this species demands visualization of the internal cusps (shape and number). We analyzed one specimen previously identified as N. simplex ( NMNH 53831— North Carolina / USA 1966), but observation of the internal cusps to confirm the identification was not possible without damaging the specimen.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Nausithoe simplex (A–B) and Nausithoe sorbei (C–F). A—Lectotype NHM 1878.3.26.11a. B—Scanning electronic microscopy of internal whorl of cusps (NHM 1878.3.26.11d); image adapted from Morandini & Jarms 2012. C— Young medusa showing the rhopalium (rh) and red mouth lips (l). D—Just-released ephyra showing the coronal groove (cg) and tentacles (t). E—Polyp strobilating. F—Scanning electronic microscopy of the single internal cusp; image extracted from Jarms et al. 2003.