Hydroids (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) from Guinea Bissau

The present report deals with the hydroids collected during the Spanish survey Bissau-0811, and two CCLME international surveys, carried out in 2008, 2011 and 2012, respectively, along the coast of Guinea-Bissau, between 20 and 940 m depth. A total of 76 species belonging to 40 genera and 23 families were identified. Hebella sp. probably represents a new species, but the lack of fertile material prevents us from describing it as such. Hebella ritchiei Vervoort, 1959 was found fertile for the first time. The new combination Obelia pseudodichotoma (Vervoort, 1959) comb. nov. is proposed for Laomedea pseudodichotoma Vervoort, 1959, upon the finding of fully developed medusa buds inside its gonothecae. The subspecies Halecium sibogae marocanum Billard 1934, is elevated to full species, as Halecium marocanum Billard, 1934 nov. status, based on reliable morphological grounds. Auto-epizoic colonies of Halecium beanii (Johnston, 1838), Idiellana pristis (Lamouroux, 1816) and Nemertesia irregularis (Quelch, 1885) were found among the collected materials. With 43 species recorded for the first time from the waters of Guinea-Bissau, the number of known hydroids from the area is raised from 47 to 90 with this report. A checklist of the hydroids occurring in the study area is also included.