Aglaophenia calycifera Bale 1914

Aglaophenia calycifera Bale, 1914

Figure 8A

Aglaophenia calycifera Bale, 1914b: 178, pl. 37, figs 3, 4.— Stranks, 1993: 9. Lytocarpia calycifera.— Bouillon et al., 2006: 284.

Material examined. SAM H2537, SAM H2589, microslides. West of the South Australia – Western Australia border, depth 180 m, trawl; coll: R. Southcott 1/07/1988.

Description. Three hydrocladial fragments found amongst other material. Hydrocladial internodes moderately long, nodes indistinct. Hydrothecae adnate to hydrocladium, saccate, partially divided into two by a short backwardly directed internal septum ending in a small knot of perisarc; posterior adcauline wall rounded, frontal adcauline wall sinuously curved, abcauline wall flattened curve parallel with internode. Margin almost transverse to hydrocladial axis, with a sharp bifid anterior rostrum and three pairs of low cusps.

Median nematotheca tubular, reaching about halfway along abcauline wall, becoming free at point where abcauline wall flattens into a shallow concavity, orifice open down to abcauline wall. Lateral nematotheca tubular, a small septum at base into hydrocladium, orifice large, open.

Remarks. Bale (1914b) described and figured Aglaophenia calycifera from several hydrothecae. The Bale hydroid collection in Museum Victoria contains six microslides (all collectively numbered NMV F58401). Two have Bale’s catalogue numbers 309 and 310, labelled by him as co-types. Five microslides, two of which are labelled NMV F58402 and NMV F58404, held in the Trebilcock hydroid collection of Museum Victoria also from the same locality in the Great Australian Bight and are presumably part of Bale’s original material. All registered slides are designated as syntypes by Stranks (1993). I select Bale’s microslide 309 as lectotype of Aglaophenia calycifera.

Distribution. Great Australian Bight; this is the second record of the species.