Plumularia setacea (Linnaeus 1758) Linnaeus 1758
- Dataset
- The non-Siphonophoran Hydrozoa (Cnidaria) of Salento, Italy with notes on their life-cycles: an illustrated guide
- Rank
- SPECIES
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Cnidaria
- class
- Hydrozoa
- order
- Leptothecata
- family
- Plumulariidae
- genus
- Plumularia
- species
- Plumularia setacea
description
Description (based on our own observations; Ramil & Vervoort 1992; Cornelius 1995; Medel & Vervoort 1995): Hydroid. Hydrorhiza tubular, variably ramified in accordance to the substrate; colonies erect, pinnate; hydrocauli monosiphonic, unbranched, but occasionally branched, up to ca 60 mm, divided into internodes by transverse nodes, each segment bearing a basal and a distal nematotheca, the last one almost in the axil of a lateral apophysis; hydrocladia alternate, borne on stem apophyses, in the same plane, heteromerously segmented by transverse nodes into hydrothecate and non-hydrothecate internodes; hydrothecate internodes with one hydrotheca and 3 nematothecae, one inferior median one and 2 latero-superior ones, non-hydrothecate segments with one frontal nematotheca, usually with one perisarcal septum above and below it, septum also may occur basally on hydrothecate internodes; first hydrocladial internode athecate and shorter; hydrothecae cup-shaped, entirely adnate, rim even, aperture slightly tilted downwards; nematothecae all two-chambered, conical, basal chamber longer, apical one wider, with adcauline embayment. Gonothecae of both sexes on the same stem or not, typically in a continuous line towards the base of stem, female ones elongated, fusiform, smooth, narrower distally with a more or less developed tubular neck, with narrow and circular apical aperture, male ones narrower and smaller than females, less attenuate above, tapering to a minute orifice. Colours: stem pale to dark horn (dark brown in some old colonies). Cnidome. Microbasic mastigophores. Habitat type. Eurybathic species, in the Mediterranean Sea found from the tidal level to about 400 m depth (Broch 1933; García Carrascosa 1981; Boero & Fresi 1986; Roca 1986; Ramil & Vervoort 1992). Substrate. Recorded on other hydroids, sponges, barnacles, Posidonia, algae, mollusc shells, bryozoans, other organisms, and biogenic banks. Seasonality. January – March (Llobet i Nadal 1987; Llobet et al. 1991; Puce et al. 2009), April (Llobet i Nadal 1987; Llobet et al. 1991), July (Llobet i Nadal 1987; Llobet et al. 1991; Brahim et al. 2010), August (Boero & Fresi 1986; Brahim et al. 2010), and November (Boero & Fresi 1986) in the several localities of the Mediterranean Sea; all year in Salento waters (De Vito 2006; this study). Reproductive period. February (Ramil 1988), March (Stechow 1923; Puce et al. 2009), May (Stechow 1919; Rossi 1961), June (Picard 1955; Morri & Bianchi 1999), August and September (Picard 1952) in the several localities of the Mediterranean Sea; October – May (De Vito 2006; this study) in Salento waters.
discussion
Remarks. For more details about the variability of this species see Ramil & Vervoort (1992).
distribution
Distribution. Cosmopolitan (Millard 1975; Cornelius & Ryland 1990; Medel & Vervoort 1995; Ramil et al. 1998; Bouillon et al. 2004; Gravili et al. 2008 a). Records in Salento. Common at: La Strea, Porto Cesareo (Presicce 1991; Denitto 1996; Faucci & Boero 2000); Montagna Spaccata, Torre S. Emiliano, Ponte del Ciolo (Presicce 1991); Otranto (Denitto 1996; Miglietta et al. 2000; Fraschetti et al. 2002; De Vito 2006; Gravili 2006; Andreano 2007; Gravili et al. 2008 a; Stabili et al. 2008; Ventura 2011; Piraino et al. 2013; this study); Costa Merlata (Fraschetti et al. 2002; Andreano 2007); Il Chiapparo (C. Gravili unpublished observations).
materials_examined
Material examined. HCUS-S 0 97 (Hydrozoa Collection, University of Salento — fauna of the Salento Peninsula).