Litophyton crassum (Kükenthal, 1903)

(Figs. 80a, 81)

Nephthya crassa Kükenthal, 1903: 167, pl. 8 fig. 16, pl. 9 figs. 61-62 (Western Australia, Port Denison).

Not Nephthea crassa; Utinomi, 1954 b: 60, fig. 3, pl. 2 fig. 2 (Kii, Japan); Imahara, 1996: 25 (listed).

Material examined. NHMW C2370 (material from Godeffroy museum, not as type in collection, but from Port Denison and the species mentioned by Kükenthal as being stored in the Natural History Museum Vienna).

Re-description. The holotype is 11.5 cm high and 6.5 cm wide (Fig. 80a). The stalk is 2.5 cm long. The polyps are up to 0.5 mm wide and high, mostly with expanded tentacles, and grouped in spherical catkins.

Polyps. With arrangement of sclerites in abaxial and lateral points only (Fig. 81 a-b). Abaxial and lateral sclerites are spindles with sparsely distributed blunt spines, largest present abaxially, up to 0.40 mm long, laterally they are up to 0.20 mm long (Fig. 81c). The adaxial sclerites are small curved scales, similar to those of the tentacles, up to 0.10 mm long (Fig. 81d). Straight small rods, up to 0.10 mm long, are present on the adaxial side of the polyp stalk (Fig. 81e). Spindles of the supporting bundle are up to 1 mm long, with simple tubercles, and not projecting beyond the polyp (Fig. 81f).

Surface layer top stalk. Capstans and derivatives of capstans, 0.05-0.15 mm long (Fig. 81g); a few spindles and unilaterally spinose spindles are also present, up to 0.3 mm long, with simple tubercles (Fig. 81h).

Surface layer base stalk. Capstans, derivatives of capstans, and a few spindles and unilaterally spinose spindles (Fig. 81j). Capstans 0.10-0.15 mm long and spindles up to about 0.30 mm long.

Interior stalk. Spindles, up to 0.80 mm long, with pointed or blunt ends and simple tubercles; few with a side branch (Fig. 81i, k-l)).

Distribution. Western Australia: Port Denison.

Remarks. The species resembles L. capnelliformis (Thomson & Dean, 1931), from Timor, Indonesia (Fig. 80b), regarding the internal stalk spindles with blunt ends (Fig. 82g). However, that species lacks unilaterally spinose sclerites (Fig. 82f). Noteworthy, the polyp sclerite arrangement of L. capnelliformis is not clear due to a large amount of detritus present in the polyps. Therefore, the one polyp drawn (Fig. 82a) could have rods in the adaxial side, the rods are possibly just hidden beneath the detritus.