Nephthyigorgia annectens ( Thomson & Simpson, 1909 )

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 : 754-755

Nephthyigorgia annectens ( Thomson & Simpson, 1909)

( Figure 1F )

Siphonogorgia annectens Thomson & Simpson, 1909:134–135 , fig. 62–63; Thomson & Dean 1931:153, 166–167

? Nephthyigorgia pinnata Kükenthal, 1910:65

Nephthyigorgia annectens Macfadyen, 1936:64–65

Description

Colony red. Stout branches and finger-like branchlets lie almost in one plane. Verrucae are either cone-shaped or cylindrical, 2 mm broad at the base and 2–3 mm in height. Sclerites in verrucae are, 2mm long and 0.5 mm wide. Sclerites in stem are similar, but, 2.6 mm in length. These are covered with low, simple warts. Anthocodiae wholly retracted. Armature comprises crowns and points. Crown composed of curved, smooth sclerites up to 0.5 mm long whereas points comprise between 6–8 straight or slightly curved sclerites. Point sclerites are usually arranged either longitudinally or in a fan, sometimes placed en chevron. Sclerites absent in canal walls of branches. Sclerites in stem interior are up to 3.5 mm in length and 0.5 mm in diameter and covered with low warts. Sclerites are deep red, except for yellow anthocodial ones.

Type locality

Puri Crissa Coast (southwest of Calcutta, depth 18 m), Indian Ocean. Distribution

Indian Ocean, Malay Archipelago, Great Barrier Reef, Hong Kong.

Remarks

This species is a new record for Hong Kong. An in-aquarium photograph of it from Hong Kong has been shown and identified as Nephthyigorgia sp. by Fabricius and Alderslade (2001:133, fig. 3). A single specimen (110 mm × 90 mm) was collected from Conic Island Cave.

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.