Leptogorgia californica (Verrill, 1868)

Published, First, 2007, A revision of the genus Leptogorgia Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857 (Coelenterata: Octocorallia: Gorgoniidae) in the eastern Pacific, Zootaxa 1419, pp. 1-90 : 19-22

Leptogorgia californica (Verrill, 1868)

( Figs. 10–12)

Litigorgia californica Verrill, 1868a: 398 (1st. ed.).

Leptogorgia californica Verrill, 1868b: 398 ; Verrill 1869b: 421; Nutting 1910: 5; Kükenthal 1919: 772 (spec. dub); Kükenthal 1924: 334.

Not Leptogorgia californica Hickson 1928: 412–413 (= L. labiata ).

Not Lophogorgia californica Harden 1979: 69 (= L. labiata ).

Material examined. Lectotype (here designated): YPM 1713 , dry, Sonora State, Magdalena Bay , Mexico, depth not given, A. Garret, no date, donor MCZ (“type fragment”) . Other material examined: MEXICO: CASIZ 097881 (2), dry, Sinaloa, Mazatlan, H. N. Lowe, no further data. PANAMA: BM 1930.6 .17.14, preserved, Station Balboa 3 (Pacific entrance to Panama Canal docks, tidal, half mile from sea), no depth given, St. George ; Scientific Expedition, Pacific Cruise, C. Crossland, 1923–1924 .

. Lectotype description. The lectotype is a small, dry fragment 2.5 cm in length, and 1.3 cm in width ( Fig. 10A). According to Verrill (1868b) the form of the colonies is “somewhat flabelliform, subpinnately branched, branches ascending, not coalescent”. Branches are around 2 mm in diameter. Polyps are arranged in about three rows around the branches, they retract into nearly flat protuberances in the coenenchyme leaving slit-like apertures ( Fig. 10A, B). Colour is reddish purple, and yellow longitudinal grooves appear in some parts along the branches. Sclerites of the coenenchyme are mostly red and pink, some are yellow, and some bicoloured; they are mostly capstans ( Fig. 10C), which reach up to 0.10 mm in length, and 0.05 mm in width ( Figs. 10C, 11). Spindles occur in minor proportions; some of them with one end bent. The spindles reach up to 0.13 mm in length and 0.05 mm in width ( Fig. 10C, 11). Crosses up to 0.08 by 0.07 mm occasionally occur; they have short rays with blunt warty ends ( Fig. 11). The anthocodial sclerites are slender, pale orange, somewhat flattened rods, up to 0.07 mm in length, and 0.02 mm in width, with lobed margins ( Figs. 10C, 11).

Distribution. Only from the type locality: Baja California, Mexico ( Table 2, Fig. 12).

Remarks. Verrill (1865–1870) described 12 species of Leptogorgia , without designating any holotypes. Nevertheless, we found original syntype material in all but two cases. Verrill (1868b, 1870) provided illustrations of branches for two species, and of sclerites for seven, however, they are not adequate for identification purposes, since only two or three types of sclerites were presented. For Leptogorgia chilensis and Leptogorgia caryi no syntypes were found.

Leptogorgia californica was described by Verrill (1868b) with a specimen 15 cm in height and 10 cm in width, from Margarita Bay or from Cape San Lucas. The only type material found is a fragment 2.5 cm in height, and 1.3 cm in width from Magdalena Bay collected by A. Garret, marked as syntype. Verrill did not illustrate the colony, and besides drawings of two sclerites, no other additional material is available for comparison purposes. The chosen type fragment is consistent with Verrill’s description; however, details of colony morphology are difficult to infer. Since YPM 1713 is the only type material available, and it comes from Margarita Island, Magdalena Bay ( Margarita Bay does not exist), we designate this specimen as the lectotype of L. californica to establish the identity of this species and avoid future misinterpretation .

The specimen BM 1930.6 .17.14, described by Hickson (1928) from Balboa, Panama, as well as CASIZ 097881 , identified by Harden (1979) from Mazatlan , Sinaloa, Mexico as this species, fit Leptogorgia labiata better (see below) .

This species is similar to L. labiata in the colour of the colony, and the sclerites, but in L. californica the sclerites are larger than in previous. Leptogorgia labiata has very prominent polyp-mounds, which is not the case in L. californica where the polyp-mounds are flat ( Table 1).