Pycnotheca mirabilis, The feathery hydroid, is a colonial hydroid in the family Kirchenpaueriidae.[2] Feathery hydroids are often white and grow in crowded colonies resembling upright feathers. The stems may grow to 3 cm in total height. The reproductive bodies are found at the base of the stems and resemble beehives.[3]
| Pycnotheca mirabilis | |
|---|---|
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| Illustration from the protologue of P. mirabilis | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hydrozoa |
| Order: | Leptothecata |
| Family: | Kirchenpaueriidae |
| Genus: | Pycnotheca |
| Species: | P. mirabilis
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| Binomial name | |
| Pycnotheca mirabilis (Allman, 1883)
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| Synonyms | |
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This colonial animal is found off the South African coast from False Bay to KwaZulu-Natal, as well as around the Indo-Pacific rim and Vema Seamount. It lives from the subtidal to 50 m under water.[3] This species eats microplankton.[3]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pycnotheca mirabilis.
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Pycnotheca mirabilis (Allman, 1883)". marinespecies.org. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Pycnotheca mirabilis (Allman, 1883)". marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ a b c Millard, N.A.H. 1975. Monograph on the Hydroida of Southern Africa. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 68:1-513