Galea, H. R. (2008). On a collection of shallow-water hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from Guadeloupe and Les Saintes, French Lesser Antilles. Zootaxa. 17: 1-54.
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Galea, H. R.
2008
On a collection of shallow-water hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from Guadeloupe and Les Saintes, French Lesser Antilles
A recent collection of shallow-water hydroids from Guadeloupe and Les Saintes, in the eastern Caribbean Sea, was studied. This is the first comprehensive report on the hydroid fauna from the study area. A total of 48 species, belonging to 9 families of athecates and 12 families of thecates, are described or listed. All the species are illustrated and, when necessary, data on the cnidome composition are provided. Two new species, Zanclea migottoi sp. nov. and Halopteris vervoorti sp. nov., are described. Rhizogeton sterreri (Calder, 1988) is redescribed based on fertile material. Its taxonomic status is discussed and the genus Rhizodendrium Calder, 1988 is included in the synonymy of Rhizogeton L. Agassiz, 1862. Scandia michaelsarsi (Leloup, 1935) is believed to be a synonym of S. gigas (Pieper, 1884), and morphological arguments are provided to support this hypothesis. An undescribed type of peculiar gonothecae, arising from the hydrothecal apertures, was found in Dynamena disticha (Bosc, 1802). Sertularella peculiaris (Leloup, 1935) is redescribed and its synonymy discussed. The nematocyst types of Symmetroscyphus intermedius (Congdon, 1907) were identified. Some species in the present collection are provisionally identified or assigned to a genus, pending the discovery of fertile material or additional life cycle studies. Finally, the hydroid fauna from the study area proves to be preponderantly tropical in nature, with several species also occurring in temperate seas. A number of species are first records for the Caribbean basin: R. sterreri, Eudendrium capillare Alder, 1856, Coryne pusilla Gaertner, 1774, Halecium cf. lankesteri (Bourne, 1890), S. gigas, and Sertularia loculosa Busk, 1852.
