Annella reticulata ( Ellis & Solander, 1786 )

Ramvilas, Ghosh, Alderslade, Philip & Ranjeet, Kutty, 2023, The taxonomy of Indian gorgonians: an assessment of the descriptive records of gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) recorded as occurring in the territorial waters of India, along with neighbouring regions and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the highlighting of perceived unethical practice, Zootaxa 5236 (1), pp. 1-124 : 25-26

Annella reticulata ( Ellis & Solander, 1786)

Gorgonia reticulata Ellis & Solander, 1786 : pl. 17, no text.

? Gorgonia verriculata Esper, 1791 –1799:124–126 + pl. 34 in atlas.

? Euplexaura reticulata Nutting, 1910a: 14 , pl. 3, figs 2, 2a, pl. 4, fig. 9.

? Subergorgia reticulata Stiasny 1937: 101 (Mollucas) .

? Annella reticulata (part) Grasshoff 1999: 16, figs. 18 b–d, f–g. ( New Caledonia).

? Annella reticulata Grasshoff 2000: 8 , figs. 8–10, 14–16 (Red Sea).

Opinion: There is some evidence that this species occurs in the region.

Justification:

This Indian record may be valid: Thomas & George 1986: 99, fig. 1C, 1–3 (SW coast).

These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable: Thomson & Simpson 1909: 164 (as Subergorgia verriculata ) (Andamans); Thomas & George 1986: 99, fig. 1C, 1–3 (as Subergorgia reticulata ) (SW coast); Fernando 2011: 21–22, pl. 4, fig. 1–1d (Cuddalore); Kumar et al. 2014a: 104, pl. 49, fig. A–D (Andaman and Nicobar Islands); Fernando et al. 2017: 23, pl. 6, fig. A–D (Cuddalore).

Literature analysis: This species was erected as Gorgonia reticulata by Ellis & Solander (1786) with just a colony figure and no text. The material is presumed lost and the exact sclerite forms are unknown. Nutting (1910a), not noticing the scleraxonian axis of a specimen from the Mollucas, erected a new species for it that he called Euplexaura reticulata . Later, Stiasny (1937) synonymised Nutting’s species with Gorgonia reticulata and reassigned that taxon to the genus Subergorgia . Later again, Grasshoff (1999) transferred the species to the genus Annella . Most authors base their identifications on Stiasny’s account, where the characteristic sclerites are the small doubleheads illustrated in his text figure GGa. Given the style and inaccuracy generally pertaining to drawings by Stiasny, these sclerites maybe the same as those in Grasshoff‘s (1999) figure 18g, which appear black when viewed with a compound microscope: (although the figure 18g sclerites did come from a colony with many elongate meshes, fig. 18d, but thin branches). As a result, the sclerites depicted for A. reticulata in Grasshoff’s (2000) figures 8 &10 are considered not to represent that species. However, having examined many specimens of Annella , the second author believes there is more than one species with characteristic, small, polygonal meshes, and as the sclerites of Ellis & Solander’s specimen are unknown a “?” has been placed in front of entries in the list of synonyms herein.

In the account of the species in Fernando (2011) and Fernando et al. (2017) the text is identical, but the illustrations are different even though the material examined is the same. But, in the account of the species in Fernando et al. (2017) and Kumar et al. (2014a) the text is different, but the illustrations are identical even though the material examined is different. As stated above in the section on A. mollis , the colony illustrations in Fernando (2011) indicate a mixture of species with possibly A mollis on the left (pl. 3, figs. 2, 2a) and possibly Annella reticulata on the right. The illustrations in the account of A. reticulata in Fernando (2011) also appear to indicate a mixture of species. The colony illustrations are very small, but the large specimen on the left in pl. 4, fig.1 appears to have long, elongate meshes like A. mollis , while the small specimen on the right in fig.1a clearly has small, polygonal meshes like A. reticulata . The double-head sclerites in the illustrations are so small that the fine detail cannot be discerned but they have a long neck and appear to be of the vertebrae-style and possibly came from the specimen on the left. In the accounts given by Fernando et al. (2017) and Kumar et al. (2014a), the illustrations also indicate a possible mixture of species. It is not entirely clear, but the colonies in the underwater photograph may have predominantly polygonal meshes, but the collected specimen clearly has the long, elongate meshwork characteristic of A. mollis . Additionally, the sclerite figure shows one double head (second from the left) that may be similar to those illustrated by Stiasny for S. reticulata .

Thomson & Simpson (1909) reported a specimen with only a cursory description so it cannot be verified, but the report of Thomas & George (1986) is possibly correct. Thomas & George (1987) just listed the species as did Venkataraman et al. (2004), while Kumar et al. (2015, 2018) listed it and provided the figure of the colony with the elongate meshwork from Fernando et al. (2017) and Kumar et al. (2014a). Kumar et al. (2016: PY-P; 2018a) just lists the species.