Orthopyxis crenata

Orthopyxis crenata (Hartlaub, 1901b)

(fig. 4N–U, table 7)

Eucopella crenata Hartlaub, 1901b: 364, pl. 22 figs 27–31, 33–35. – Hirohito, 1969: 7, fig. 7.

Campanularia crenata – Millard & Bouillon, 1973: 47, fig. 6 B–F. – Millard, 1975: 204, fig. 68A–F. – García Corrales et al., 1978: 19, fig. 7. – Hirohito, 1995 (English text): 53, fig. 15E–K.

Orthopyxis crenata – Bale, 1924: 232, fig. 3. – Ralph, 1957: 838, fig. 6G–V. – Leloup, 1974: 17, fig. 15. – Cornelius, 1982: 58, fig. 5. – Watson, 2005: 589, fig. 34A–C.

Campanularia ? crenata – Millard, 1958: 170, fig. 2A–C, E.

Orthopyxis crenata f. crenata Ralph, 1957: 838, fig. 6G–P, V.

Orthopyxis crenata f. subtropica Ralph, 1957: 839, fig. 6Q–U.

Orthopyxis formosa Trebilcock, 1928: 2, pl. 1 fig. 2.

Orthopyxis delicata Trebilcock, 1928: 3, pl. 2 fig. 1– 1F. – Ralph, 1957: 840, fig. 7A–D.

Campanularia delicata – Millard & Bouillon, 1973: 48, fig. 6G–M. – García Corrales et al., 1978: 22, fig. 8.

Campanularia ? delicata – Millard, 1975: 206, fig. 68G–L.

? Campanularia caliculata – Hartlaub, 1905: 560, fig. K1 (not Campanularia caliculata Hincks, 1853).

Material examined. Stn. 10 – 24.02.2008, A501 (MHNG INVE 62831) (9 m): numerous hydrothecae and female gonothecae, on red algae, and a sterile colony epizoic on Thuiaria polycarpa Kirchenpauer, 1884; A522 (MHNG INVE 62832) (8 m): numerous hydrothecae and a few gonothecae, epizoic on T. polycarpa.

Type locality. French Pass, Bare Island, New Zealand.

Description. Sample A501. Colony arising from flattened, ramified, anastomozing stolon. Pedicels of hydrothecae with moderately thick perisarc, ranging from slightly undulated to spirally grooved throughout. Hydrothecae bell-shaped, rounded in cross-section, perisarc thin, except basally where it forms an internal annular constriction for the attachment of hydranth; margin slightly flared, rim smooth though wavy to obviously crenate, with ca. 12 bluntly rounded marginal cusps, commonly varying in shape within the same colony; subhydrothecal spherule present. Gonothecae, female in present material, borne on stolon, laterally flattened; ovoid in frontal view, with distal end truncated, wider in middle, and narrowing basally into distinct, short, smooth pedicel. Two gonophores per gonotheca: one large, occupying nearly the whole lumen of gonotheca, and a smaller one, situated basally. Large gonophore with ca. 100–120 densely-packed eggs, arranged in about 8 outer and 5 inner longitudinal rows, each with 9– 10 eggs; the latter, polygonal to ovoid, up to 210 µm in larger diameter. Small gonophore with several tens of comparatively smaller eggs (45 µm), in a compact, oval mass. Additional, fine structures could not be observed. Male gonothecae not seen. Nematocysts (undischarged): large capsules (9.6–12.1) × (2.8–3.7) µm, small capsules (5.0–5.7) × (1.4–1.6) µm.

Remarks. Ralph (1967) distinguished two forms of this species, i.e. O. crenata f. crenata, with margins of hydrothecae ranging from smooth to shallowly scalloped within the same colony, and O. crenata f. subtropica, with margin always possessing 12–14 well defined, low, rounded cusps.

Hirohito (1969, 1995) described newly released medusoids as having 4 radial canals, 8 statocysts, a broad velum, and no manubrium.

The specimens from Smyth Channel, Chile, provisionally assigned to C. caliculata Hincks, 1853 by Hartlaub (1905) have hydrothecae with an even to shallowly cusped rim, and most probably belong to the present species, as indeed noticed by Hartlaub.

As stated by Cornelius (1982), if the present species has to be referred to the genus Campanularia Lamarck, 1816, another specific name would be required to avoid homonymy with C. crenata Allman, 1876.

World distribution. Mediterranean, eastern and western Atlantic and Pacific, Indian Ocean (Hirohito 1995).

Records from Chile. Smyth Channel (Hartlaub 1905), South of Chiloé Island (present study).