Dendrophyllia coccinea ( Ehrenberg, 1834 )

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 : 733-734

Dendrophyllia coccinea ( Ehrenberg, 1834)

( Figure 1M–N )

Oculina coccinea Ehrenberg, 1834

Dendrophyllia coccinea van der Horst, 1922:55–56 , Plate VIII, Fig. 21 Dendrophyllia coccinea Ogawa & Takahashi, 1995:21–22 , Plate 6, Figs 1 –7, Plate 7, Fig. 7

Description

Dendroid colonial corallum with budding near the base of the corallite wall. The colony is fan-shaped as two new polyps may bud at the same corallum. Colony size ranges from 40 mm to 70 mm in length and width and 40–70 mm in height. Corallite is oval, with longer and shorter diameters up to, 14.8 mm and 11.7 mm, respectively; length ranges from 10–15 mm, width from 8–13 mm and height from 5–13 mm. Septa order is hexameral with a duplicate P. plan in five cycles. Ventral and lateral septa may express regular and irregular triplicate P. plans, respectively. Columella is well-developed and spongy. In a living columella, the corallite wall and basal expansion is yellow and the polyp is red.

Distribution

Japan ( van der Horst 1922; Ogawa and Takahashi 1995), Conic Cave, Hong Kong (this study).

Figures

Figure 1. Balanophyllia sp. and Dendrophyllia sp. A–B, calicular (longer diameter56.5 mm) and side view of four solitary corallites of B. eguchii (maximum height59.02 mm); C–D, calicular (longer diameter514.9 mm) and top view of a B. ponderosa colony (height531.3 mm); E–G, calicular (longer diameter57.8 mm) and side views of two colonies of D. arbuscula (colony size of F and G535.1 mm and 40.1 mm, respectively); H–I, top and side views of a small D. arbuscula colony (height518.2); J–L, calicular (longer diameter511.7 mm) and top views of two colonies of D. ehrenbergiana (height of K and L513 mm and 19.8 mm, respectively); M–N, calicular (longer diameter513.4 mm) and side view of a colony of D. coccinea (height527 mm); O–P, calicular (longer diameter58 mm) and side view of colony of D. compressa (height533.1 mm); Q–R, calicular (longer diameter59.9 mm) and four solitary corallites of D. gracilis (maximum height521.2 mm).