Viminella junceelloides Stiasny, 1938

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 : 106

Viminella junceelloides Stiasny, 1938

Ellisella junceelloides Stiasny, 1938: 340 (Gulf of Suez); Stiasny 1959: 56, fig. E’, pl. 4, figs.18–19.

? Viminella junceelloides Grasshoff 2000: 108 , figs. 192–194 (Northern Red Sea).

Opinion: There is no evidence that this species occurs in the region.

Justification:

These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable: Kumar et al. 2014a: 28, pl. 11, fig. A–C (Guitor Is.); Fernando et al. 2017: 248, pl. 115, fig. A–C (Guitor Is.).

Literature analysis: This Red Sea species was first diagnosed by Stiasny in 1938, but no sclerites were illustrated. They were figured, however, in a later paper (1959) published some years after the authors death. In that paper the colony was described as unbranched and slender, with the polyps standing on all sides, but often also arranged in rows so that smooth intermediate stripes are formed. The coenenchymal sclerites include double spheres and double spindles about 0.06–0.08 mm long with a smooth neck, and also small, densely covered, spherical formations: colony colour dark reddish brown.

The descriptions given by Kumar et al. (2014a) and Fernando et al. (2017) are identical, but the taxonomic detail is not completely known as most of their text is taken word-for-word from the description given by Grasshoff (2000). The sclerites illustrated by the Indian authors are quite different from those figured by Stiasny. They do not have the extended, clear neck zones and the long narrow spindles and the small spherical formations are missing. Additionally, their colony is white and lacks the bare spaces between the rows of polyps. We include Grasshoff’s material as a synonym only tentatively as he reported the sclerites up to 0.13mm and those of the polyps up to 0.12 mm.