Ectopleura marina

Ectopleura marina (Torrey, 1902) (Fig. 2A, B) Tubularia marina Torrey, 1902: 46, pl. 3 figs 24, 25.— Fraser, 1937: 53, pl. 11 fig. 45a–b. Type locality . USA: Off the California coast (Torrey 1902, as Tubularia ). Material examined . IHAK22, hydrocaulus and hydranth, with female gonophores(BHAK 1102), RBCM 026-00026- 002.—IHAK23, female polyp with attached hydrorhiza, gonophores containing developing eggs (BHAK 1111), RBCM 026-00027-003.—IHAK44, two polyps, with male gonophores (BHAK 2390, RBCM 026-00033-001, GenBank accession PV366396 (COI).—IHAK44, colony with mature female gonophores (BHAK 2463), RBCM 026-00033-003, GenBank accession PV366333 (COI).—IHAK50, male and female colonies, with gonophores (BHAK 2478), RBCM 026-00035-005.—DS0410, hydranth with mature female gonophores (BHAK 09091), RBCM 026-00006-001.—DS-0099, hydranth with gonophores (BHAK 10391), RBCM 026-00003-001.—DS0351, hydranth without gonophores (BHAK 09059), RBCM 026-00005-001.—Mainguy Rock, Hakai Passage, one hydranth with male gonophores (BHAK 11470), RBCM 026-00045-003. Description . Colony arising from ramifying stolons, hydrocauli unbranched, clustered, up to 7 cm tall. Perisarc of moderate thickness on proximal part of hydrocaulus, thinner distally, mostly smooth, or wavy, but with about five annulations proximally above origin from stolon. Hydranth large, broadly vasiform, with one oral whorl of 16–18 filiform tentacles, and aboral whorl with about 26 tentacles. Neck region occurs between basal part of hydranth and caulus. Base of hydranth rests on a bulbous process; filmy perisarc originates from groove around proximal half of process, showing fine striae pattern and enveloping basal 1/2–2/3 of neck. Colony dioecious. Gonophores ovate, borne on irregularly branched blastostyles above aboral tentacles, often in long racemose clusters; male gonophores more broadly ovate than females. The latter with four prominent apical processes, bulbous at base and tapering distally, reaching, or exceeding the length of the gonophore itself; mature male gonophores with four small, rudimentary apical processes (Torrey 1902). Remarks . This species is distinguished from its congeners by the distinctive prominent apical processes on the female gonophores which were described by Torrey (1902) as “unusually long tentacles” (Fig. 2B). Partial COI sequences obtained in this study (RBCM 026-00033-001, GenBank accession PV366396 and RBCM 026-00033- 003, GenBank accession PV366333) are 100% identical to each other and are 99.85% identical to Ectopleura marina from Haida Gwaii (GenBank accession MG422787, unpublished) and 98.78% identical to E. marina from California, USA (GenBank accession JX121592.1, Nawrocki et al. 2013). The results obtained in this study are consistent with the well-supported clade of Tubulariidae containing all members of Ectopleura which includes E. wrighti Petersen, 1979 and two sister groups containing E. marina and E. crocea (L. Agassiz, 1862) recovered by Nawrocki et al. (2013). Reported distribution . Pacific coast of North America from California to British Columbia (Torrey 1902, Petersen 1990).

Source: Zenodo (CERN open repository) PDF: N/A Original Link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23914439