Halecium tenellum Hincks, 1861

Halecium tenellum Hincks, 1861: 252, pl. 6 figs 1–4.

Halecium tenellum – Cornelius 1975: 409–411, fig. 12. — Ramil & Vervoort 1992: 90–91, fig. 21f–g.

Material examined

SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN • 7 colonies, without gonothecae (1 growing on Zygophylax sp., 1 on bivalve shell, and 5 on ghost fishing net); Valdivia Seamount, stn BT12; 24°49′01″–24°47′38″ S, 6°24′40″–6°25′26″ E; 887– 886 m depth; 7 Feb. 2015; SEAFO-2015 leg.; SEAFO-2015-40282, SEAFO-2015-40402, SEAFO-2015-40762, SEAFO-2015-40797, SEAFO-2015-40811, SEAFO- 2015-40850, SEAFO-2015-40852.

Distribution

Halecium tenellum is a nearly cosmopolitan species (Cornelius 1975), with records from all oceans, including polar waters, although some identifications from high latitudes in the North Atlantic proved to be erroneous (Calder 1991; Schuchert 2005). Reported from South Africa by Millard (1975). Its bathymetric range extends from the intertidal zone to 1200 m (Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa 2002).