Dendronephthya gigantea ( Verrill, 1864 )

Lam, Katherine & Morton, Brian, 2008, Soft corals, sea fans, gorgonians (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) and black and wire corals (Ceriantipatharia: Antipatharia) from submarine caves in Hong Kong with a checklist of local species and a description of a new species of Paraminabea, Journal of Natural History 42 (9 - 12), pp. 749-780 : 753

Dendronephthya gigantea ( Verrill, 1864)

( Figure 1C, D )

Spongodes gigantea Verrill, 1864:40

Spongodes gigantea Verrill, 1865a:192

Spongodes gigantea Tixier-Durivault & Prevorsek, 1959:63–68 ; Tixier-Durivault, 1970:228–229.

Dendronephthya (Dendronephthya) gigantea Kükenthal, 1905:549

Dendronephthya gigantea Thomson & Mackinnon, 1910:184 ; Thomson & Dean 1931:105–107, pl. XIX, fig. 8–9, pl. XXVIII, fig. 3; Roxas 1933:435–436; Verseveldt 1974:96; Imahara, 1991:77

Description

The white colony arises from a few thick, principal branches that divide into short, glomerate branchlets and, in turn, numerous clusters of polyps. Polyps are arranged densely in characteristically hemispherical masses. Polyp stalks are short,, 1mm, and armed with long, white sclerite bundles. Point spicules very variable, 1–6 pairs, no pseudo-crown, grade III ( Thomson and Dean 1931, p. 103). Tentacle bases are supported by many long, slender sclerites. These tentacle sclerites are deep red or light pink and thus provide the colour of the polyp clusters. Sclerites in the upper cortex are large,, 4 mm, covered with blunt warts and lie transversely. Those in the lower cortex and canal walls have stouter and shorter spindles, triradiates and multiradiates.

Type locality

‘‘ Hong Kong, China, on rocks in 1 fathom’’.

Distribution

Hong Kong, Japan, The Philippines, Malay Archipelago, Amirante, Indian Ocean and New Caledonia. Up to 85 fathoms (, 170 m).

Remarks

Two specimens were collected from Conic Island Cave. Sizes were 150 mm × 160 mm and 70 mm × 60 mm.

Figures

Figure 1. Living specimens of soft corals belonging to the Nephtheidae, Nidaliidae and Alcyoniidae. A, Scleronephthya pustulosa; B, Scleronephthya sp.; C, a dark red variety of Dendronephthya gigantea; D, a light pink variety of Dendronephthya gigantea; E, Nephthea chabrolii; F, Nephthyigorgia annectens; G, Paraminabea hongkongensis sp. nov. Scale bar52 cm.