Trochocyathus rawsonii Pourtalès, 1874

Reyes, Javier, Santodomingo, Nadiezhda & Cairns, Stephen, 2009, Caryophylliidae (Scleractinia) from the Colombian Caribbean, Zootaxa 2262 (1), pp. 1-39 : 9

Trochocyathus rawsonii Pourtalès, 1874

Figs. 2J–K

Trochocyathus rawsonii Pourtalès, 1874: 35 , pl. 6, figs. 7–10.— Cairns, 1979: 77–79, pl. 13, figs. 5–7, pl. 14, figs. 1–6, Map 17 (description and synonymy).— Cairns et al., 1991: 47 (listed).— Cairns et al., 1994: 4 (listed).— Cairns, 2000: 78–79.—Lattig, 2000: 119–120, fig. 63.— Lattig & Reyes, 2001: 28–29, fig. 5.— Kitahara, 2007: 502–503, fig. 3B.— Santodomingo et al., 2007: 287 (listed).

Remarks: Colombian specimens are smaller than those recorded from other Caribbean localities. The largest Colombian specimen is 11.8 x 11 mm in CD, 5.4 mm in height, and 2.3 mm in PD. S4 are still incomplete and the septal plan is not well defined. Discrete columella, composed of few thin bent ribbons, loosely fused to their bases. Nevertheless, Colombian specimens are quite similar to T. rawsonii , according to the description by Cairns (1979; 2000). They present a twisted corallum base with attachment scar, and epithecal bands near the calicular edge, above which costae are well defined. The specimens USNM 46086 ( Trinidad y Tobago), USNM 46088 ( Martinique) and USNM 61802 ( Venezuela) were used to confirm the identity of the Colombian material. Although within the genus Trochocyathus some subgenera have been established, i.e. Trochocyathus (Aplocyathus) d'Orbigny, 1849 , and Trochocyathus (Platycyathus) Fromentel, 1863 , the species included in this revision have not been assigned to any subgenus so far (see Cairns 1979; 2000; Fautin 2008; Alroy 2009).

Distribution: Tropical western Atlantic, from 32ºN to 0º, including Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas and Brazil, between 55 and 700 m depth. Also found in the Indian Ocean ( Cairns 1979; 2000). In Colombia, this species was collected from La Guajira Peninsula (Cabo de La Vela) to off San Bernardo Islands, between 70 m and 308 m depth.

Material: INV CNI378 , 1 specimen , E18; INV CNI681 , 1 specimen , E153; INV CNI682 , 1 specimen , E102; INV CNI2394 , 1 specimen , D34; INV CNI2685 , 5 specimens , D20; INV CNI2852 , 4 specimens , D18; INV CNI2908 , 3 specimens , C3.

Figures

FIGURE 2. A–B, Caryophyllia berteriana, INV CNI2553, off San Bernardo Islands, calicular and lateral views, both x 1.5; C, Caryophyllia crypta, USNM 99187, Santa Marta, paratype, x 4; D–E, Caryophyllia barbadensis, INV CNI669, off San Bernardo Islands, calicular and lateral views, both x 10; F–G, Caryophyllia ambrosia caribbeana, INV CNI364, off La Rada inlet, calicular and lateral views, both x 1.6; H–I, Coenocyathus parvulus, INV CNI671, off San Bernardo Islands, calicular and lateral views, both x 10; J–K, Trochocyathus rawsonii, INV CNI681, off Gulf of Morrosquillo, calicular and lateral views, both x 3.2; L–M, Trochocyathus sp. cf. T. fasciatus, INV CNI379, off Santa Marta, calicular and lateral views, both x 4.6; N, Tethocyathus prahli, INV CNI905, off La Guajira (Punta Gallinas), calicular view x 2.7; O, T. prahli, INV CNI1514, off Chocó, Pacific Ocean, calicular view x 2.7; P–Q, Tethocyathus variabilis, INV CNI2404, off San Bernardo Islands, calicular and lateral views, both x 4; R–S, Paracyathus pulchellus, INV CNI2305, off La Guajira, calicular and lateral views, both x 4.4; T–U, Polycyathus senegalensis, INV CNI809, off La Guajira, calicular view and colony, both x 2.7; V, Cladocora debilis, INV CNI877, off Palomino, colony fragment showing typical branching pattern, x 0.8. Scale bars for A–B, F–G,V = 1 cm;C, J–U = 5 mm; D–E, H–I = 1 mm.