Halecium delicatulum Coughtrey 1876

Halecium delicatulum Coughtrey, 1876

Synonyms in the area: Halecium flexile Allman 1888 p. 11; Jäderholm 1903 p. 265–266, 1905 p. 13, 1920 p. 2–3; Hartlaub 1905 p. 611–613; Galea & Schories 2012a p. 24; Galea et al. 2014 p. 12–15 [polyp]; Halecium gracile —Jäderholm 1903 p. 266–267 [polyp].

Remarks: Halecium delicatulum has been considered a cosmopolitan species for which many records may be reviewed in the future (Schuchert 2005). Galea & Schories (2012b p. 7) called attention that the binomen Halecium delicatulum may be used to characterize other species, and considered that “the taxonomy of this possible complex of species is far from settled”, remarking on the inapropriateness of the use of the name for Antarctic materials unless their female gonothecae are studied. Galea & Schories (2012a p. 30) considered the specimens identified by Blanco (1968) as H. annuliforme (see above)—other records also need to be checked.

Distribution in South America: polyp—Pacific Ocean, Chile, from 22°S to 55.21°S (Jäderholm 1903 p. 265–266; Leloup 1974 p. 10; Galea 2007 p. 54–56; Galea et al. 2009a p. 330, 2014 p. 12–15; Galea & Schories 2012a p. 24); Atlantic Ocean, Brazil to Argentina, from 23°S to 23.83°S, from 34°S to 55°S (Allman 1888; Hartlaub 1905; Jäderholm 1920; Blanco 1984b, 1994a; Vervoort 1972; Stepanjants 1979; Genzano 1990, 1994a, 1994b; El Beshbeeshy 1991, 2011; Migotto 1996; Genzano & Zamponi 1997, 2003; Genzano & Rodriguez 1998; Migotto et al. 2002; Seo 2003; Shimabukuro 2007; Genzano et al. 2009a, 2011; Meretta & Genzano 2015; Miranda et al. 2015).

Habitat: polyp—from intertidal zone to 680m depth; larger specimens presumably on hard substrates, smaller ones on algae or epizoic on Barbatia candida, brachiopods, bryozoans, hydroids (e.g., Amphisbetia operculata, Eudendrium caraiuru, Halecium beanii, Halopteris schucherti, Hybocodon chilensis, Lafoea dumosa, Sertularella fuegonensis, Symplectoscyphus filiformis), Leptogorgia sp., polychaete tubes, rocks, sponges (Blanco 1984b, 1994a; Vervoort 1972; Leloup 1974 p. 10; El Beshbeeshy 1991, 2011; Migotto 1996; Genzano & Rodriguez 1998; Genzano & Zamponi 2003; Galea 2007 p. 54–56; Shimabukuro 2007; Galea et al. 2009a p. 330; Genzano et al. 2009a; Meretta & Genzano 2015).