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Re-descriptions of some Southern african Scyphozoa: out with the old and in with the new

Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) / Two species of Chrysaora are described from the northern Benguela ecosystem: C. fulgida and C. africana. These species can be diagnosed by a combination of morphological features including lappet and tentacle number, shape of lappets, colouration patterns (alive), shape of the proximal portion of radial septa, gastrovascular pouch shape, point of attachment of gonads and the presence or absence of small raised nematocyst warts on the exumbrellar surface. Objective, quantitative statistical analyses coupled with molecular sequence data support the qualitative morphological dissimilarity observed, as these analyses unambiguously diagnose C. fulgida and C. africana as two distinct species. There is a strong superficial resemblance between the C. fulgida material described here and the preserved specimens of C. hysoscella examined at the Natural History Museum, London. Thorough investigation does however allow the separation of these two species. Morphological features found to be dissimilar were the proximal portion of the manubrium, gastrovascular pouch shape and the presence or absence of sperm sacs. Objective, quantitative statistical analyses support these findings. Nuclear sequence variation suggests considerable divergence between the two species but additional molecular work is needed. / South Africa

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uwc/oai:etd.uwc.ac.za:11394/2526
Date January 2009
CreatorsNeethling, Simone
ContributorsGibbons, Mark J., Faculty of Science
PublisherUniversity of the Western Cape
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
RightsUniversity of the Western Cape

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