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Phylum
Cnidaria
See
also Stony Corals
Hydroids
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Hydroids are abundant on most submerged surfaces but most are small
and easily overlooked. They possess powerful stinging cells and
are a primary cause of skin irritation when swimmers contact the reef,
seaweed, pilings, floating docks, lines, or debris.
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HAWAII
Lytocarpia niger
Blowhole, Oahu, Hawaii, 25 feet |
Blowhole, Oahu, Hawaii, 25 feet |
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BLACK HYDROID
| Found in areas exposed to surge or current at scuba depths. |
Macrorhynchia philippina
Lanai Lookout, Oahu, 40 feet |
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PHILIPPINE HYDROID
| Occasional at scuba depths exposed to surge or currents. Up to 4
inches tall. |
Halecium
sp.
Baby Barge, Oahu, 65 feet |
Baby Barge, Oahu, 65 feet |
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| Common in areas exposed to current. About 2 inches tall.
Worldwide in warm seas. |
Halopteris
sp.cf. diaphana
Makapu'u tidepool, Oahu |
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| Common in shallow water. Less than 1 inch tall and difficult to
see. |
Pennaria disticha
Moku O Loe, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, 5 feet
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Moku O Loe, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, 5 feet |
With commensal shrimp, Haleiwa Trench, Oahu, 50 feet
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Haleiwa Trench, Oahu, 75 feet |
Moku O Loe, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, 5 feet
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CHRISTMAS TREE HYDROID
| An introduced species common in protected bays and harbors. Has
a very strong sting. Reaches 8 inches tall. |
Solanderia secunda
 Sharks
Cove, Oahu, 30 feet
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Sharks Cove, Oahu, 30 feet |
Sharks Cove, Oahu, 30 feet
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SEA FAN HYDROID
| Uncommon on ceiling of caverns and ledges at scuba depths. About
3 inches tall. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |
Various Hydroids
Sharks Cove Tidepool, Oahu
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Firehouse, Oahu, 25 feet |
Firehouse, Oahu, 25 feet |
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| These hydroids are less than 1 inch tall and virtually invisible to
the naked eye. Attached to virtually any firm surface including
rocks, seaweeds, and man-made objects including docks and mooring
lines. Gloves should always be worm when snorkeling and diving,
especially when using mooring lines for ascent/descent to avoid contact
with their painful sting. |
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