Plicatotheca anitae Calder & Vervoort, 1986

Gil, Marta & Ramil, Fran, 2025, Hydroids (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) from Guinea Bissau, Zootaxa 5577 (1), pp. 1-89 : 19-20

Plicatotheca anitae Calder & Vervoort, 1986

( Fig. 3B )

Plicatotheca anitae Calder & Vervoort, 1986: 2022–2023 , figs 1–4.— Gili et al., 1989: 77, fig. 6B.— Vervoort & Watson, 2003: 29, fig. 1H–J.— Vervoort, 2006: 217–218.— Calder, 2013: 14–15 , fig. 2C–D.

Material examined. BISSAU-0810, stn BS152, 10º31'12"– 10º30'19"N, 17º12'34"– 17º12'32"W, 300–305 m, 27-X-2008: five colonies without gonothecae, up to 10 mm high, of which two growing on Lytocarpia myriophyllum and another one on a worm tube.

BISSAU-0810, stn BS157, 10º19'36"– 10º18'44"N, 17º10'29"– 17º10'12"W, 304–308 m, 28-X-2008: two colonies, up to 14 mm high, of which one with gonothecae and growing on Lytocarpia myriophyllum .

Remarks. The morphology of our colonies and the shape of the gonotheca match those described earlier by Gili et al. (1989). This is the second record of P. anitae from West Africa.

Biology. This species has been found growing on coral rubble ( Calder & Vervoort 1986), dead mollusk shells ( Vervoort 2006), worm tubes and the hydroid Sertularella gayi ( Gili et al. 1989) . In the northern hemisphere, colonies with gonothecae have been found in February ( Calder 2013).

In our material, some colonies were found on L. myriophyllum and a worm tube. Gonothecae were found in October.

Distribution. This is a circumglobal species ( Vervoort 2006). In West Africa, it has been already recorded from Guinea-Bissau ( Gili et al. 1989). Its bathymetric distribution ranges from 60 ( Calder & Vervoort 1986) to 1480 m depth ( Vervoort & Watson 2003).

Our material was collected at depths between 300–308 m.

Figures

FIGURE 3. A. Lovenella corrugata Thornely, 1908 (stn BS191), portion of colony with hydrothecae and a gonotheca. B. Plicatoteca anitae Calder & Vervoort, 1986 (stn BS152), portion of colony. C. Acryptolaria conferta (Allman, 1877) (stn BS131), portion of hydrocladium. D. Lafoea gracillima (Alder, 1856) (stn BS152), portion of colony with hydrothecae. Scales: a–d, 0.5 mm.