Halecium ovatum Totton 1930
- Dataset
- Hydroids of the BANZARE expeditions, 1929 – 1931: the family Haleciidae (Hydrozoa, Leptothecata) from the Australian Antarctic Territory
- Rank
- SPECIES
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Cnidaria
- class
- Hydrozoa
- order
- Leptothecata
- family
- Haleciidae
- genus
- Halecium
- species
- Halecium ovatum
description
Figure 8 A, B
description
Shorter stems monosiphonic, taller stems fascicled with up to 10 polysiphonic tubes; stems arborescently branched in all directions up to two thirds of their length, ultimate branches monosiphonic. Mature female gonothecae small, borne abundantly on all but distalmost branches, inserted on a short pedicel in a hydrotheca typically situated in a fork between two or three branches but hydrotheca often overgrown by polysiphonic tubes; body of gonotheca ovoid to subquadrangular with a very thin, smooth perisarc; aperture terminal, small, circular, surrounded by a very low fragile collar; immature gonotheca kidney-shaped as described by Totton. Nematocysts in tentacles undischarged? anisorhizas capsule oval, 11 – 12 x 6 – 7 μm. Measurements (μm) of gonotheca of Halecium ovatum Length of pedicel of gonotheca 80 Length of gonotheca 784 – 1176 Width of gonotheca 588 – 901 Diameter of orifice 80
materials_examined
Notes and supplementary description from holotype. To establish the identity of Halecium interpolatum it became necessary to examine type material of Halecium ovatum. Although Totton provided an adequate description and dimensions of Halecium ovatum his figures were poor, and the gonotheca was not figured. Ihave compared the BANZARE material with the holotype (alcohol-preserved colony) and four paratype microslide preparations of Halecium ovatum loaned bythe Natural History Museum, London. Abrief supplementary description of the important diagnostic characters from the holotype (glycerol-mounted) of Halecium ovatum is given. The holotype colony (BMNH No. 29.10.10.1) comprises a dense tuft of long and short stems growing on another hydroid. Hydrocauli arise from a tangled adherent meshwork of tubular stolons entwined with hydrorhizae of the other hydroid.
Name
- Homonyms
- Halecium ovatum Totton 1930