Sertularella polyzonias
species of cnidarian
Sertularella polyzonias is a branching colonial hydroid in the family Sertulariidae.
Description
This hydroid branches rather sparsely and irregularly compared with Sertularella gayi. The main stems and side branches are thin, wavy, and of a pale straw colour. As in all Sertularella species, the side branches support alternate hydrothecae, one to each internode. The hydrothecae are bulbous at the base and become narrower towards the rim which has four cusps, and an operculum that consists of four triangular flaps. The gonothecae are generally ovate in shape and slightly rugose in texture. A raised tubular structure with four vertically projecting denticles surrounds the aperture. Although the male and female gonothecae are similar in shape the male is considerably smaller and is white, whilst the female is yellow in colour. Colonies are typically 40–50 mm in height.
Distribution
Reported widely from the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, shallow sublittoral to considerable depths.
“Sertularella polyzonias” enters the record as species of cnidarian. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Sertularella, polyzonias and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2861154. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Sertularella polyzonias” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.