Solenosmilia variabilis Duncan, 1873

Cairns, Stephen D., Häussermann, Verena & Försterra, Günter, 2005, A review of the Scleractinia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) of Chile, with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 1018 (1), pp. 15-46 : 40

Solenosmilia variabilis Duncan, 1873

Fig. 2J

Solenosmilia variabilis Duncan, 1873: 328 , pl. 42, figs. 11–18. — Squires, 1969: 18, pl.6, map 2. — Cairns, 1982: 31, pl. 9, figs. 4–5 (Subantarctic records, description, synonymy, figures); 1995: 82, pl. 23d–e (synonymy).

New Record. — Vema 17­14RD, 47°01'S, 75°44'W (off Península Tres Montes), 1146 m, 1 colony, USNM 1022415 .

Remarks. —The only previous record of this species from Chile or the entire eastern Pacific was that of Squires (1969), who mapped one occurrence at about 47° S but did not provide documentation. The Vema specimen reported herein is undoubtedly that record. It is a small colony of 6 cm in height having only 12 corallites, but shows evidence of intratentacular budding, which is characteristic of the genus, leading to equal, three­dimensional dichotomous branching.

Solenosmilia variabilis is one of the few scleractinian species having an almost cosmopolitan distribution, occurring at depths of 220–2165 m ( Cairns 1995).

Figures

FIGURE 2. A–C, Caryophyllia huinayensis (A, paratype, USNM 1021991; B–C, holotype, ZSM 20050146): A, stereo view of calice, x 5.3; B, calicular view, x 5.3; C, lateral view of corallum, x 4.5; D–E, Caryophyllia diomedeae, USNM 83522, calicular and lateral views, x 3.0, x 2.0, respectively; F, H, Tethocyathus endesa (F, holotype, ZSM 20050148; H, paratype, USNM 1021980): F, stereo calicular view, x 5.2; H, calicular view, x 4.9; G, Caryophyllia sp. cf. C. quadragenaria, USNM 1021992, calicular view, x 7.3; I, Deltocyathus parvulus, USNM 1021993, oblique calicular view, x 6.1; J, Solenosmilia variabilis, USNM 1022415, colony fragment, x 0.75. Scale bars for A–C, F–I = 2 mm; D–E = 5 mm; J = 2 cm.