Garveia nutans Wright, 1859

Garveia nutans

Description: A small athecate hydroid which is easy to recognise due to its bright orange coloration. The rounded polyps are borne singly at the top of thin tubular stems and typically bend over to one side. Height about 10mm, polyps about 2-3mm.

Habitat: Usually occurs in shallow water in strong or very strong tidal streams, attached to cobbles or bedrock. Often occurs with Tubularia indivisa and may climb the basal part of the Tubularia stems.

Distribution: Widespread in the British Isles.

Similar Species: The coloration of this species is enough to distinguish it from Eudendrium species, which are otherwise similar.

Key Identification Features:

• Small orange polyps at the tips of thin tubes
• Sparsely branched straggly colonies

Distribution Map: NBN map : National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

WoRMS: Species record : World Register of Marine Species.

iNaturalist: Species account : iNaturalist World Species Observations database