Hebella

Galea, Horia R., 2013, New additions to the shallow-water hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) of the French Lesser Antilles: Martinique, Zootaxa 3686 (1), pp. 1-50 : 16

Hebella sp. 3

( Fig. 4 B, I)

Material examined. Stn. 7, 23.i.2012, 6– 8 m, M015: numerous hydrothecae, but no gonothecae, on Eudendrium sp.

Description. Hydrothecae arising irregularly from linear, occasionally branched stolon, creeping on stems and branches of its hydroid host. Pedicels 135–365 µm long, with smooth to slightly wrinkled perisarc. Hydrothecae tubular, curved, 890–1035 µm long, 380–400 µm wide; walls often undulated, 465–550 µm wide at aperture; renovations not seen. Tentacle number could not be ascertained due to the rather poor state of preservation of the polyps. Gonothecae absent. Nematocysts: 1) egg-shaped microbasic heteronemes, ca. 5.8×2.4 µm, of rare occurrence in the coenosarc; 2) microbasic mastigophores, ca. 7.0×2.4 µm, abundant in the tentacles, also present in the coenosarc; 3) ovoid microbasic heteronemes with a distal "beak", ca. 5.8×2.6 µm, sparsely distributed in the coenosarc; 4) large microbasic heteronemes, ca. 16.8×6.1 µm, of rare occurrence in the stolon.

Geographical distribution. Only known from Martinique.

Figures

FIGURE 4. A: Hebella sp. 2 ― hydrothecae. B: Hebella sp. 3 ― hydrothecae. C: Hebella sp. 4 ― hydrothecae. D – J: Comparison of the cnidomes of Anthohebella communis (Calder, 1991) (D), Hebella dyssymetra Billard, 1933 (E), Hebella scandens (Bale, 1888) (F), Hebella sp. 1 (G), Hebella sp. 2 (H), Hebella sp. 3 (I), Hebella sp. 4 (J). K – Q: Halecium dichotomum Allman, 1888 ― various stems (K); male (L, M) and female (N, P) gonothecae; aperture of a female gonotheca in frontal view, showing twin hydrotheca (O); cnidome (Q). Scale bars: 10 µm (D – J, Q), 300 µm (K – P), 500 µm (C), 1 mm (A, B).