Echinogorgia

Namin, Samimi & Ofwegen, Van, 2009, Some shallow water octocorals (Coelenterata: Anthozoa) of the Persian Gulf, Zootaxa 2058, pp. 1-52 : 13

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.186743
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6220166
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A36F53-CA6D-5A62-F0EC-FBFDFE246E7B
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Echinogorgia
status

Treatment

Echinogorgia View in CoL sp. b

( Figs. 7 View FIGURE 7. a c–d, 11–12)

Material: RMNH Coel. 38770, four colonies, Farur Island, coll. S.A. Mohtarami; RMNH Coel. 38771, one colony, Strait of Hormuz, Qeshm Island, 18 May 2006.

Description. The depicted colony ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7. a c) is 8 cm high and 10 cm wide, growing on a piece of rock. It branches loosely, more or less in one plane; branches are very slender, about 1 mm wide. Polyps are situated all around the branches, the calyces are very low, hardly protruding above the coenenchyme.

Polyps are retracted, having few, almost smooth sclerites, up to 0.15 mm long ( Fig. 11 View FIGURE 11 a). We could not see a clear difference between collaret and point sclerites.

Surface layer of the coenenchyme has thornscales, most up to 0.25 mm long, a few 0.40 mm long; additionally a few unilaterally spinose spindles are present ( Figs. 11 View FIGURE 11 c, 12a). The inner layer with spindles, up to 0.45 mm long, many heavily branched ( Figs 11 View FIGURE 11 b, 12b). Furthermore, small derivatives of capstans are present, most up to 0.05 m long ( Fig. 11 View FIGURE 11 d).

Colour. Colony ochre, sclerites yellow.

Variability. The other three colonies from Farur Island are similar to the one here described. The colonies from Qeshm Island ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7. a d) are yellow, more loosely branched with slightly wider branches, but have sclerites similar to RMNH Coel. 38770.

Remarks. This species differs from species-a above in lacking anastomoses, being yellow to ochre in colour, and in having smaller polyp spindles and interior capstan derivatives, and in having interior spindles which are more branched.