Sarsia marii n. sp. (Hydrozoa, Anthomedusae) and the use of 16S rDNA sequences for unpuzzling systematic relationships in Hydrozoa

Abstract

A new hydrozoan species, Sarsia marii, is described by using morphological and molecular characters. Both morphological and 16S rDNA data place the new species together with other Sarsia species near the base of a clade that developed, "walking" tentacles in the medusa stage. The molecular data also suggest that the family Cladonematidae (Cladonema, Eleutheria, Staurocladia) is monophyletic. The taxonomic embedding of Sarsia marii n. sp. demonstrates the usefulness of 16S rDNA sequences for reconstructing phylogenetic relationships in Hydrozoa.