Pseudopterogorgia australiensis ( Ridley, 1884 )

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 : 77-78

Pseudopterogorgia australiensis ( Ridley, 1884)

Leptogorgia australiensis Ridley, 1884: 342–344 , pl. 36, fig. C, C′, c, c′ (Torres Straits).

Gorgonia australiensis (new comb.) Ridley 1888: 238.

Pseudopterogorgia australiensis var. perflava Grasshoff & Alderslade 1997: 33 .

Pseudopterogorgia australiensis Williams & Vennam 2001: 81 , figs. 7A, B, D; 8, 9, 10, 13.

Opinion: There is not enough evidence to say this species occurs in the region.

Justification:

These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable: Thomas & George 1986: 106–107, fig. in, 1–3 (SW & SE coast); Mary & Lazarus 2004: 38, fig. 16&17; Fernando 2011: 81–82, pl. 54, fig. 2–2e (SE coast); Fernando et al. 2017: 176–177, pl. 80, fig. 1–1e (SE coast).

Literature analysis: This species was erected for material collected from the Torres Straits between Australia and Papua New Guinea and originally named Leptogorgia australiensis . Kükenthal (1919: 220) placed it in the new genus Pseuopterogorgia. Thomson & Henderson (1905: 308–309) reported that 2 varieties occur in Sri Lanka but the descriptions are unrecognisable. The descriptions given by Thomas & George (1986) and Mary & Lazarus (2004), under the original name, are not recognisable and the figured oval-shaped sclerites do not look like those from Pseudopterogorgia . Also, in the latter paper the pinnate branches of the figured colony re-branched further, which is quite unlike P. australiensis . The descriptions of the Indian material by Fernando (2011) and Fernando et al. (2017) are identical, but without more detailed descriptions and larger images of the sclerites it is not possible to recognise what species they have. The authors, however, admitted the colony shape was quite different and the sclerites larger than those of this species. Thomas & George (1987) and Varghese et al. (2007: 15, fig. 7) list the taxon under the old original name and the latter provides a colony image that is not a Pseudopterogorgia .