The Occurrence and Distribution of the Hydroids of the Galveston Bay, Texas Area

Examination of approximately 210 collections of hydroids from the Galveston Bay, Texas, area resulted in the identification of twenty-nine species representing nineteen genera in ten families. The species collected are briefly discussed as belonging to one or more of three hydroid 'faunas': a sargassum fauna (restricted to or common on sargassum); an invertebrate epifauna (common on other invertebrates, e.g., mollusks or crustaceans); and a typical hydroid fauna (occurring on any suitable substrate). A brief zoogeographic discussion is presented, and it is concluded that the hydroid fauna of the area has affinities with both the southern U.S. Atlantic coast and the Caribbean, but is closer to the Atlantic coast. A key, verbal descriptions, and figures of the sixty-two species of hydroids now reported from the coasts of Texas and Louisiana are presented. (Modified author abstract)