ABSTRACT
An account is given of the names of families, genera, and species of hydroids established by C.M. Fraser of Canada, excluding those from Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions and the Allan Hancock Caribbean Sea Expedition. The names of four families, 11 genera, and 101 species are attributed to him in this work, complementing those of another two genera and 164 species described by Fraser in various Allan Hancock publications. Information is provided on type localities of his new species, on locations and kinds of type material in existence, where known, and on the current taxonomic status of families, genera, and species described by him in works reviewed herein. Two replacement names (Thuiaria geniculata Fraser, 1918a and Salacia fraseri Calder, 1991) exist for Thuiaria distans Fraser, 1914a (not Thuiaria distans Allman, 1877). The widely overlooked senior synonym, T. geniculata, is recognized as the valid name of the species. Diphasia alta nom. nov. is proposed as a new replacement name for the permanently invalid junior primary homonym Diphasia robusta Fraser, 1943a (not D. attenuata robusta Billard, 1924). In addition, Cryptolaria crassa nom. nov. is proposed as a new replacement name for the junior secondary homonym Cryptolaria rigida (Fraser, 1948) [not C. rigida (Fraser, 1940a)]. Lectotypes have been designated for 47 of the species to establish objective standards for application of their names. Corymorpha adventitia Fraser, 1941b, from the Pacific coast of Panama, is assigned to Ralpharia Watson, 1980, as R. adventitia. No type specimens are known to exist for seven of the species considered, including one holotype (of Hebella eximia Fraser, 1944a) missing from its bottle. Particular attention has been paid to dating and chronology of the 51 publications of Fraser covered in this work. Earlier bibliographic errors are corrected, most notably establishing that the book Distribution and relationship in American hydroids was published in early 1947 rather than 1946 as per the title page.
Subject(s)
Expeditions , Hydrozoa , Animals , Canada , Caribbean Region , Male , PanamaABSTRACT
Examination of the hydroid fauna of the Canadian Pacific coast in the collections of the Royal Ontario Museum collected between 1934 and 1985 indicates that the genus Sertularella Gray, 1848 from the infralittoral zone in the region remains poorly enumerated. The present study shows that several European or northeast Atlantic hydroid species, Sertularella conica Allman, 1877, Sertularella rugosa (Linnaeus, 1758), Sertularella tenella Alder, 1856, Sertularella polyzonias (Linnaeus, 1758), and Sertularella fusiformis (Hincks, 1861) have been incorrectly reported from the west coast of North America and suggests that assumptions of cosmopolitanism of some species require verification by continuing refinement of regional species-level taxonomy. Four new species, Sertularella cervicula, S. coronata, S. sacciformis, and S. pacifica are recognized and described in this paper. Sertularella gigantea Hincks, 1874 is recognized for the first time from the Pacific coast of North America.
