Antennella secundaria (Gmelin, 1791)

Sertularia secundaria Gmelin, 1791: 3854.

Antennella secundaria: Ramil & Vervoort, 1992a: 143–145, fig. 37A–D.— Schuchert, 1997 (pro parte): 14–18, figs 3–4.— Ansín Agís et al., 2001: 140–145, fig. 63.— Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa, 2002: 100–102, fig. 18E–H.

Material examined. BISSAU-0810, stn BS131, 11º34'07"– 11º33'13"N, 17º11'25"– 17º11'31"W, 102–103 m, 23-X-2008: one colony with gonothecae, 40 mm high, growing on a worm tube.

BISSAU-0810, stn BS134, 11º28'17"– 11º29'11"N, 17º13'12"– 17º13'22"W, 374–385 m, 23-X-2008: two colonies (one with gonothecae), 13–20 mm high, both growing on Lytocarpia myriophyllum.

BISSAU-0810, stn BS152, 10º31'12"– 10º30'19"N, 17º12'34"– 17º12'32"W, 300–305 m, 27-X-2008: 26 colonies (two with gonothecae), 5–11 mm high, of which nine growing on Lytocarpia myriophyllum, six on Diphasia margareta, two on Aglaophenia lophocarpa, one on Aglaophenia tubulifera and one on Diphasia sp.

CCLME-1110, stn BT40, 10º15'45"– 10º14'39"N, 16º55'17"– 16º54'05"W, 224 m, 27-X-2011: one colony with gonothecae, growing on a polychaete tube.

CCLME-1205, stn BT313, 10º15'41"– 10º16'47"N, 16º55'17"– 16º56'27"W, 224–225 m, 16-VI-2012: one colony without gonothecae, 10 mm high, growing on a prosobranch.

CCLME-1205, stn BT319, 10º35'40"– 10º36'53"N, 16º59'31"– 17º00'30"W, 209 m, 18-V-2012: one colony with gonothecae, 15 mm high, unknown substrate.

Remarks. Our material agrees with that of Gil et al. (2020) from Mauritanian coral mounds. No further discussion is required.

Recent molecular analyses have demonstrated that A. secundaria is a complex of cryptic species (Moura et al. 2018), and it would be more prudent to consider that only the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic records are valid.

Biology. Antennella secundaria has been found growing on rocks, algae, bryozoans, hydrozoans, anthozoans, sponges, cirripedes, polychaete tubes and on bio-concretions, pebbles and D. pertusum (Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa 2002; Gil et al. 2020). Fertile material has been found in the northern hemisphere between February and December (Boero & Fresi 1986; Alvarez Claudio 1993; Medel & Vervoort 1995; Ansín Agís et al. 2001; Gil & Ramil 2017a), while in the southern hemisphere gonothecae have been observed in February and between August and November (Millard 1968; Gravier Bonnet 1970; Vervoort & Vasseur 1977; Gravier Bonnet 1979).

In our material, colonies were found growing on hydroids, prosobranchs and worm tubes. Gonothecae were observed in May and October.

Distribution. Antennella secundaria is considered as a circumglobal species (Ansín Agís et al. 2001; Gil et al. 2020), although Schuchert (1997) suggested that it may represent a species complex. In West Africa, it has been recorded from Morocco (Patriti 1970) to Gabon (Gil & Ramil 2021a).

Our material was collected at depths between 102–385 m.