Antarctic hydroids (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) of the families Campanulinidae, Lafoeidae and Campanulariidae from recent Antarctic expeditions with R.V. Polarstern, with the description of a new species

Abstract

Species of the thecate hydroid families Campanulinidae, Campanulariidae and Lafoeidae have been studied. The material studied originates from the Weddell Sea and was collected by several French and German Antarctic expeditions with R.V. Polarstern. Fourteen species were found, three belonging to Campanulinidae, four to Campanulariidae and seven to Lafoeidae, one of these new to science (Filellum magnificum sp. nov.). The coppinia of Lafoea gaussica Vanhöffen, 1910, is described for the first time as well as the gonothecae of Opercularella belgicae (Hartlaub, 1904). A neotype is indicated for Filellum antarcticum (Hartlaub, 1904). Available data concerning autecology and geographical distribution for each species are given, as well as a description and figures when considered necessary.

Keywords:

• Campanulinidae
• Campanulariidae
• Lafoeidae
• systematics
• Weddell Sea
• Antarctic Ocean
• new species
• neotype

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their sincere gratitude to Dr Carsten Lueter of the Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (ZMB), for the loan of specimens. In this study Álvaro Peña Cantero was supported by a research contract funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología and the Universidad de Valencia, Spain (Ramón y Cajal Program) and by a fund made available by the Jan-Joost ter Pelkwijkfund of the National Museum of Natural History, Leiden, The Netherlands.