EASIN - European Alien Species Information Network

Kostas Tsiamis
12/12/2017 - 11:38 AM

Thread Opening Text:
Dear Editorial Board Member,

Could you please advice what is the status of the species Mitrocomium medusiferum in Europe? Is it an alien species for Europe? Based on EASIN data, there is a record from France (Motz-Kossowska, 1911) but cannot trace the publication to check if there is documentation provided. Are there any other records in Europe? 

Thank you for your collaboration

Stefano PIRAINO
1/29/2018 - 3:45 PM

The taxonomic situation of the various species referable to Campalecium or Mitrocomium (family Lovenellidae) is intricate and still unresolved (see Calder, 1991; Schuchert, 2003; Bouillon et al. 2004; Altuna, 2008; Gravili et al. 2015). 

Mitrocomium cirratum has been described by Haeckel in 1879 from Corfu (Mediterranean Sea), by the adult medusa stage.

Campalecium medusiferum was described from hydroid colonies only (no medusa stage) by Torrey in 1902 from California. The cnidome of hydroids from the type locality have been never investigated
Since then, Campalecium - Mitrocomium nominal species have been described repeatedly in the Mediterranean and NE Atlantic, e.g.
Haeckel (1879) as Mitrocomium cirratum; Mayer (1910) as Mitrocoma cirrata; Motz-Kossowska (1911) as Halecium torreyi; Hadzi (1914) as Haleciella microtheca; Huvé (1954), Picard (1951a, 1958a) all as Campalecium medusiferum; Brinckmann (1959) as Eucheilota cirrata; Boero (1981a), Bavestrello (1985), Boero & Fresi (1986), Gili (1986), Llobet et al. (1986, 1991), Boero & Sarà (1987), Llobet i Nadal (1987), Morri et al. (1991) all as C. medusiferum; Altuna (1993) as Mitrocomium cirratum; Miglietta et al. (2000), Bouillon et al. (2004), De Vito (2006), Gravili (2006), Denitto et al. (2007), Gravili et al. (2008a) all as C. medusiferum; Altuna (2008) as Eucheilota medusifera ?; Puce et al. (2009), Piraino et al. (2013) as C. medusiferum; 

- all references in 
Altuna A. 2008. The life cycle of Eucheilota medusifera ? (Torrey, 1902), comb. nov. [=Campalecium medusiferum] (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Lovenellidae) from the Bay of Biscay (northeastern Atlantic), including a description of the adult medusa Zootaxa 1856: 1–15;  and  

Gravili et al. 2015. The non-Siphonophoran Hydrozoa (Cnidaria) of Salento, Italy with notes on their life-cycles: an illustrated guide. Zootaxa 3908 (1): 1–187

It is possible that several Campalecium – Mitrocomium like species are conspecific, e.g. Campalecium medusiferum, Campalecium or Mitrocomium cirratum, Lovenella cirrata, as suggested by Calder 1991 who united them under the reintroduced generic name Mitrocomium.
Hydroids initially identified as Campalecium medusiferum have been collected in both the Bay of Biscay (NE Atlantic) and the Mediterranean, raised in the laboratory. The adult medusae of these two populations showed to belong to the same taxon. Altuna (2008) named this species as Eucheilota medusifera? (Torrey, 1902) whereas Gravili et al. (2015), provisionally referred this species as Campalecium torrey (Motz-kossowskae, 1911) regarding it as the same taxon described by Motz-kossowskae in 1911 as Halecium torrey. It is not clear whether the European populations of Mitrocomium (=Campalecium) sp. pertains to the same species described from California, since Torrey (1902) did not identify the cnidome on the hydroids.  Based on current knowledge, it is most probable that many if not all descriptions of Campalecium=Mitrocomium medusiferum in European waters were based on a single native species whose taxonomic status still needs clarification.

Kostas Tsiamis
1/29/2018 - 4:31 PM

Thread Closing Text:
Mitroconium medusiferum to be erased from the EASIN catalogue due to the uncertainty regarding its taxonomic and alien status

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