Culicia rubeola ( Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 )

Lam, Katherine, Morton, Brian & Hodgson, Paul, 2008, Ahermatypic corals (Scleractinia: Dendrophylliidae, Oculinidae and Rhizangiidae) recorded from submarine caves in Hong Kong, Journal of Natural History 42 (9 - 12), pp. 729-747 : 741

Culicia rubeola ( Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)

( Figure 4D )

Dendrophyllia rubeola Quoy & Gaimard, 1833:97 , Plate 15, Figs 12–15

Culicia rubeola Ogawa et al. 1996:40 , Plate 2. Fig. 3 , Plate 4, Figs 2–3

Description

Reptoid colonies. Extra-tentacular budding on a basal expansion. The whole corallite is thin and fragile compared to C. culicia . Corallites cylindrical and small, 3– 3.3 mm in diameter and 1–2 mm in height. Epithecal wall higher than septal margin. Septal order is hexameral and in four cycles which may be incomplete. P. plan and columella are similar to those of C. japonica . Living corallites are deep pink or white with transparent tentacles.

Distribution

Galápagos Islands ( Wells 1983) and widespread in the Central Pacific including Japan ( Ogawa et al. 1996), Conic Island and Steep Island Caves, Hong Kong (this study).

Figures

Figure 2. Tubastrea sp. A–B, calicular (longer diameter58.2 mm) and top view of a colony of T. coccinea (length×width598.7 mm×34.6 mm); C–D, calicular (longer diameter56.37 mm) and top view of a colony of T. faulkneri (length×width568.9 mm×21.56 mm); E–J, calicular and side views of colonies of T. diaphana (height of F533 mm, height of G and H518.5 mm, longer calicular diameter and height of I and J59.9 and 21.5 mm, respectively); K–L, calicular (longer diameter59.5 mm) and top view of a colony of T. sibogae (height531.3 mm); M–O, calicular (longer diameter58.3 mm), top and side view of a colony of T. turbinata (height522.7 mm).

Figure 3. Tubastrea diaphana collected from Conic Island cave being grazed by three individuals of Aeolidiella sp. The white area of the skeleton is the grazed area. One Aeolidiella is on the top of the colony, the second is on the bottom and the third one was dislodged during collection.

Figure 4. Cyathelia sp., Culicia sp. and Oulangia sp. A–B, calicular (longer diameter55.1 mm) and colony of Cyathelia axillaris (height535.85 mm); C, calicular of Culicia japonica (longer diameter55.9 mm); D, caliculars of Culicia rubeola (colony size515.3 mm×14 mm) and E, calicular of Oulangia stokesiana (longer diameter59 mm).