Eudendrium aylingae Watson, 1985

Branching irregular, branches straggling, with 3-4 indistinct annulations at origin and at irregular intervals throughout; stems otherwise smooth and shining, perisarc thin.

Hydranths terminal on branches or borne on irregularly-spaced pedicels, indistinctly annulated at origin. Hydranths moderately large with a wide hypostome (preserved material) and 20-22 tentacles.

Male gonophores 2-chambered, up to 5 borne on a fully-developed hydranth with hypostome; at maturity the distal chamber globular or flattened, tentacles of blastostyle not reduced, or partly atrophied.

Nematocysts of two kinds present on hydranth, none on gonophores:

— Small microbasic euryteles, capsule pyriform, 7 x 3 µm, shaft 5 µm long, thread fine. Abundant on tentacles.

— Large (?)macrobasic euryteles, capsule paddle shaped, 28-30 x 11-14 µm, shaft very long and thick, length-width ratio 2.9:1, heavily armed with overlapping leaf-like spines, undischarged thread lying in a loose loop inside capsule. Abundant around hypostome.

Colour: Perisarc pale honey brown, colour of living hydranths unknown.