Bathelia candida Moseley, 1881

Cairns, Stephen D. & Polonio, Virginia, 2013, New records of deep-water Scleractinia off Argentina and the Falkland Islands, Zootaxa 3691 (1) : -

Bathelia candida Moseley, 1881

Figs. 1 B, 2A–C, 5

Bathelia candida Moseley, 1881: 177 –178, pl. 8, figs. 1–6.—Cairns, 1982: 13, pl. 3, figs. 1–3, Map 1 (re-description and illustrations).—Kitahara & Cairns, 2005: fig. 2E.—Kitahara, 2007: 500, 501 (listed).—Kitahara et al., 2009: 228 (listed).

Remarks. The species was well described by Cairns (1982). The uncommon asexual reproduction mode of distomadeal intratentacular budding, alluded to by Cairns (1982), is illustrated herein ( Fig. 2A ). Septa of the four cycles are virtually indistinguishable in size, all being uniformly narrow with finely dentate axial edges, although the S1–2 are sometimes slightly exsert, conferring a symmetry to the calice. The paliform lobes (incorrectly called pali by Cairns 1982) are tall slender ribbons sometimes occurring two to a septum, but often missing from all or some of the septa within a calice. The paliform lobes (P3) are indistinguishable from the centrally placed columellar elements, altogether forming a robust axial structure.

The normally extratentacular (sympodial) budding of this species is usually sufficient to distinguish it from the only other colonial scleractinian known from this region, Solenosmilia australis , which has consistently distomadeal intratentacular budding. But, on rare occasions, B. candida is known to have this type of budding as well ( Fig. 2A ). In that case, B. candida can be distinguished by its large columella, paliform lobes (P3), and finely dentate septal axial edges.

Dead coralla of this species form the substrate for at least six species of solitary Scleractinia and many other encrusting organisms (see Material). The species occurs in such local abundance ( Fig. 1A ) that it must be considered to be a framework-forming (or constructional) azooxanthellate species, along with 18 other species discussed by Roberts et al. (2009: Table 2.3). The tissue of the living coral is pale orange.

Distribution. Southernmost Brazil (off Rio Grande), entire coast of Argentina to latitude of Bahía Desvelos, and off Peninsula de Taito, Chile ( Fig. 5), 500–1626 m. Previously known only from the holotype and nine additional records (Cairns 1982), the numerous specimens reported herein add many records of this species from off Argentina, and slightly increase its deepest known depth range from 1250 to 1626 m. B. candida is one of the few species to occur in cold temperate as well as the southern warm temperate region of the western Atlantic. It is also noteworthy in occurring on both sides of Patagonia.

Material: PAT0108DR1, 10, MNCN; PAT0108DR2, 10, MNCN; PAT0108DR7, 10, MNCN; PAT0108DR8, 1, MNCN; PAT0108DR11, 5, MNCN, and as dead substrate for M. capitolii , USNM; PAT0108DR12, 10, MNCN; PAT0108DR15, 5, MNCN, and as dead substrate for F. cinctutum , USNM 1193314; PAT1008DR1, 3, MNCN; PAT1008DR4, 5, MNCN; PAT1008DR5, 5, MNCN, and 1 calice, USNM 1193268; PAT1008DR6, 3, MNCN; PAT1008DR9, 2, MNCN; PAT1008DR10, 1, MNCN; PAT1008DR13, 5, MNCN; PAT1008BC24, 1 as dead substrate for Javania cristata , USNM 1193330; PAT1108DR3, 3, MNCN; PAT1108DR4, 5, MNCN and 1 colony, USNM 1193271; PAT1108DR8, 2, MNCN; PAT1108DR9, 10, MNCN; PAT1108DR11, 3, MNCN; PAT1208DR4, 5, MNCN; PAT1208DR5, 5, MNCN; PAT 1208DR6, 5, MNCN; PAT1208DR7, 5, MNCN; PAT1208DR9, 4, MNCN; PAT1208DR10, 5, MNCN; PAT1208DR11, 5, MNCN; PAT1208DR14, 3, MNCN; PAT1208DR16, 5, MNCN; PAT0209DR1, 5, MNCN; PAT0209DR2, 3, MNCN; PAT0209DR3, 5, MNCN; PAT0209DR4, 5, MNCN; PAT0209DR5, 5, MNCN; PAT0209DR7, 5, MNCN; PAT0209DR8, 7, MNCN; PAT0209DR9, 4, MNCN; PAT0209DR10, 3, MNCN; PAT0209DR11, 3, MNCN and as dead substrate for D. dianthus , USNM 1192949; PAT0209DR12, 5, MNCN; PAT0209DR14, 5, MNCN and as dead substrate for C. cornu , USNM1193289; PAT0209DR15, 5, MNCN; PAT0209DR16, dead substrate for C. cornu , USNM 1193291; PAT0210DR5, 15, MNCN; PAT0210DR6, 10, MNCN; PAT0210DR7, 23, MNCN; PAT0210DR8, 10, MNCN; PAT0210DR9, 5, MNCN; PAT0210DR10, 1 colony, USNM 1193269; PAT0210DR11, 2, MNCN, and 2 branches, USNM 1193270; ATL08Lo17, 1, MNCN; ATL08Lo104, 10, MNCN; ATL09Lo8, 2, MNCN; ATL0310Lo32, 5, MNCN; ATL0310Lo94, 5, MNCN; WH 328/71, dead substrate for paratype of M. capitolii , USNM 83381.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A, Flabellum curvatum, in situ, 46 ° 21.2253 ’ S, 59 ° 19.6271 ’ W, 200 m; B, Bathelia candida, in situ, 46 ° 16.5152 ’ S, 60 ° 41.4169 ’ W, 130 m.

FIGURE 2. A – C, Bathelia candida: A, PAT 1008 DR 5, rarely observed case of intratentacular budding; B – C, PAT 0210 DR 10, a calice and branch fragment, respectively. D – E, Caryophyllia antarctica, PAT 0209 DR 4, calicular and lateral views of corallum. F – G, C. squiresi, PAT 1208 DR 6, calicular and lateral views of corallum. H – I, C. kellerae, holotype, stereo calicular and lateral views of corallum. J – K, C. coronula, holotype, stereo calicular and lateral views of corallum. L – M, Crispatotrochus cornu, PAT 0209 DR 14, stereo calicular and lateral views of corallum.