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Discovering the proper title of the hydroids rising on shells of snails and hermit crabs might be notoriously tough… however concern not! A brand new on-line useful resource is now accessible and we hope it’ll assist all people who’s eager about these little critters.
Fig1. Have you ever seen these pink/orange ‘blobs’ rising on washed-up algae alongside the coast? They’re hydroids of the species Clava multicornis. Learn extra about this and different Norwegian hydractiniids within the new arter på nett webpages. IC: Luis Martell (left), Katrine Kongshavn (proper).
We (the UMB analysis crew of NorHydro: Luis, Aino, Joan, and Lara) have created a collection of species identification sheets for all of the hydroids and jellyfish belonging to household Hydractiniidae. This household contains some hydroids that may be simply encountered throughout a stroll alongside the coast or when snorkeling and scuba diving in Norway, and due to this fact we wished to supply beach-goers and divers with a device to seek out the proper title of those animals.
Fig2. The brand new identification sheets for Hydractiniidae can be found contained in the part I havet of the Arter på nett platform in Artsdatabanken’s web site. IC: Artsdatabanken.
Many hydractiniids are generally known as ‘snail fur’ as a result of they provide a furry look to the shells they’re rising on, whereas others develop on rocks or on algae. Figuring out the species nonetheless requires somewhat effort, however altogether they’re among the finest teams to begin with for anybody eager about hydrozoan variety in Norway. That is what motivated Lara, a MSc pupil on the time, to created the primary model of those sheets (along with some lovely illustrations) which have been then developed additional with textual content from all people within the crew.
The editors and consultants at Artsdatabanken helped us all through the method, and we’re comfortable to current the ultimate model of this on-line useful resource accessible right here:
Arter på nett: Hydractiniidae
Fig3. The anatomy of a polyp colony of Hydractiniidae is greatest defined with a mixture of pictures at high-magnification and detailed diagrams. IC: Luis Martell (left), Lara Beckmann (proper).
Fig4. Hydractiniid hydromedusae are smaller than 1 cm, however they nonetheless have a number of characters that we use for identification. IC: Joan J. Soto-Angel (left), Lara Beckmann (proper).
Fig5. Each the hydromedusa and the hydroid levels of the three species of Podocoryna occurring in Norway are included within the new Hydractiniidae arter på nett. IC: Joan J. Soto-Angel, Bernard Picton, Lara Beckmann
The publication of the Hydractiniidae identification sheets marks the tip of our undertaking NorHydro. The undertaking’s most important goal was to map the variety of hydrozoans in Norway, however we additionally tried to current marine hydroids to all these not accustomed to these superb creatures. Throughout its 3 yr’s run, NorHydro produced an in depth stock of Norwegian hydrozoans by means of an integrative (morphology + DNA) method: we collected samples in >90 websites across the nation and analyzed current museum specimens to supply >1200 new information and high-quality, open entry DNA barcodes for 160 species. NorHydro’s scientific crew recognized 12 circumstances of species complexes, supervised 5 MSc thesis, and took part in >20 outreach actions and shows in educational occasions. All in all, NorHydro was an especially enriching expertise and I’m assured its outcomes will assist us perceive somewhat higher the variety of marine invertebrates in Norway.
Fig6. Farewell NorHydro!
-Luis
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