Hydractinia cf. carica Bergh, 1887

Picture: Fig. 1

Picture: Fig. 2

SYNONYMY

Hydractinia minuta Bonnevia, 1898

DESCRIPTION

Colonies forming encrusting hydrorhiza, with few conical spines (Fig.1). Gastrozoids with a single whorl of 12-22 tentacles. No belt of nematocysts on hypostome. Hypostome distinctive, nipple-shaped. Gonozoids with about 8 tentacles, gradually reducing to very short remains with no tentacles and hypostome covered with nematocysts (Fig. 2). 3-7 gonophores in one whorl in the upper 2/3 of gonozoid. Cryptomedusoid gonophores, spherical, without ring- and radial canals, with spadix, femals with 5-6 eggs. Nematocysts: desmonemes and probably two kinds of heteronemes.

DISTRIBUTION IN SVALBARD

Hornsund, Kongsfjorden, Whalenbergfjorden

WORLD DISTRIBUTION

Arctic species, Kara Sea, Barents Sea, Greenland, Norway, NE Canada, Bering Sea

DEPTH

10-30 m

SUBSTRATE

crab, rock, bivalve, Balanus sp.

REPRODUCTION

cryptomedusoid

present