Distribution data supplied by the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). To interrogate UK data visit the NBN Atlas.Map Help
Researched by | Kelsey Lloyd | Refereed by | Admin |
Authority | Linnaeus, 1758 | ||
Other common names | Neptune pant | Synonyms | - |
A sea fir forming three-dimensional, cypress tree-shaped colonies typically up to 15 cm in length but may be up to 30 cm. The colony is golden-brown in colour. The main stem is flexible, monosiphonic, sometimes forking, and there are often several stems grouped together. The side branches are usually shorter and uniform in length, appearing all around the main stem, giving the appearance of a bottle-brush. Internodes of the main stem bear polyps in tubular chitinous cups (hydrothecae) directed outwards. The colony bears both male and female reproductive polyps (gonothecae).
Widespread around British Isles and east coast of Ireland. Less common on the east coast of Scotland and south-eastern coast of England.
Sertularia argentea is recorded in the North Atlantic and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean, from the Shetland Isles south to the Biscay coast of France and northern Spain in the east and from Nova Scotia to North Carolina in the west. It is also recorded in the North Pacific from Alaska to California.
Sertularia argentea inhabits shallow pools on sand flats and mudflats, and sandy substrata usually on pebbles, shells, rocks, or other hard objects. It is occasionally found on algal stems. It is commonly found in areas subject to strong water movement from either tidal streams or wave action, and is abundant in narrows and rapids with tidal streams of more than three knots. Sertularia argentea is less common in silty and brackish localities.
Sertularia argentea is similar to Sertularia cupressina and their status as separate species is questioned (see Cornelius, 1979). The shape of the hydrothecae and gonothecae is slightly different between the two species but a microscope is needed to confirm (Porter, 2012).
- none -
Cornelius, P.F.S. 1979. A revision of the species of Sertulariidae (Coelenterata: Hydroida) recorded from Britain and nearby seas. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Zoology
Cornelius, P.F.S., 1995b. North-west European thecate hydroids and their medusae. Part 2. Sertulariidae to Campanulariidae. Shrewsbury: Field Studies Council. [Synopses of the British Fauna no. 50]
Hancock, D.A. Drinnan, R.E. Harris, W.N. 1956. Notes on the biology of Sertularia argentea L. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 35, 307-325. DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315400010158
Hayward, P., Nelson-Smith, T. & Shields, C. 1996. Collins pocket guide. Sea shore of Britain and northern Europe. London: HarperCollins.
Porter, J., 2012. Seasearch Guide to Bryozoans and Hydroids of Britain and Ireland. Ross-on-Wye: Marine Conservation Society.
This review can be cited as:
Last Updated: 30/09/2021