(Allman, 1863)

Description
Umbrella semi-globular [Bougainvillia muscus ]; mesogloea very thick, especially in apical region; velum narrow. The four radial canals and circular canal narrow. With short and broad manubrium, sometimes slightly pedunculate. Mouth simple, circular; perradial oral tentacles inserted distinctly above mouth rim, branching dichotomously 1-2 (rarely 3-6) times, and armed with terminal nematocyst clusters.
Four interradial gonads reaching perradii, globular in females, prolonged in males [B.muscus-male].
Four small, oval marginal tentacular bulbs each with a group of 4-9 (usually 3-5) long and solid tentacles of one kind; bulbs with black, round adaxial ocelli at the base of each tentacle.
Young specimens: B.muscus-young-habitus .
Size
Umbrella 2-4 mm high and wide.

Colour
Manubrium and marginal tentacle bulbs dark reddish brown, crimson or yellowish, sometimes with greenish tinge [B.muscus-male-habitus ].

Ecology and depth range
Meropelagic; neritic. Hydroids produce medusae during spring, summer and autumn and medusae may be encountered a late as December.

Distribution in the North Sea
Throughout whole North Sea.

World distribution
North Atlantic Ocean including Mediterranean Sea; Arctic Ocean; E and W South Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans.

[After Russell, 1953a; Kramp, 1959; Bouillon, 1999]

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Superclass Hydrozoa
Class Leptolida
Subclass Anthoathecatae
Order Filifera
Family Bougainvillidae
Genus Bougainvillia
Species Bougainvillia muscus

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Bougainvillia muscus (Van Beneden, 1844)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Eudendium ramosum | Van Beneden, 1844
Bougainvillia ramosa | (Van Beneden, 1844)
Bougainvillia fruticosa | Allman, 1864
Bougainvillia autumnalis | Hartlaub, 1897
Bougainvillia benedenii | Bonnevie, 1898

Bouillon, J., 1999. Hydromedusae. In: D. Boltovskoy (ed.), South Atlantic Zooplankton, Vol. 1. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 385-465.

Kramp, P.L., 1959. The hydromedusae of the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent waters. Dana Report 46: 1-283; 2 plates, 335 text figures.

Russell, F.S., 1953a. The medusae of the British Isles. Anthomedusae, Leptomedusae, Limnomedusae, Trachymedusae, and Narcomedusae. Cambridge University Press, 530 pp. 319 figures, 35 plates.

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