You are here
Taxon
Eudendrium deforme Hartlaub, 1905
Nomenclature
-
Family: EudendriidaeGenus: Eudendrium
SUMMARY
Colonies comprising many tangled stems up to 70 mm long and 0.3–0.4 mm diameter arising from a hydrorhiza entwining stem of host.
Stems more or less straight to curved, monophonic, with 5–10 strong basal annulations and groups of annulations at intervals along stems. Stems sparsely, alternately, but irregularly branched, more or less in one plane, occasionally secondary branching occurs; branchlets (pedicels) more or less alternate, spaced well apart, short to moderately long, beginning with up to 10 deep annulations; stems sometimes annulated throughout; perisarc otherwise smooth.
Hydranth large, with c. 24 tentacles.
Perisarc of lower stems thick and smooth, thinning distally along smaller branches and pedicels.
Nematocysts all undischarged euryteles of one size: small, droplet-shaped, a few in coenosarc of stems and tentacles of hydranth, capsule 10 x 6 μm.
Male gonophores present on several colonies; clustered on short, smooth to corrugated pedicels near base of stems; up to 5 in a beaded chain, apical gonophore single, gonophores below paired; tentacles of hydranth partially resorbed and reduced in number, hypostome intact.
Colour: Lower stem shining in dark brown, fading distally to pale yellowish; gonophores white.