Anomocora marchadi (Chevalier, 1966)

Filander, Zoleka N., Kitahara, Marcelo V., Cairns, Stephen D., Sink, Kerry J. & Lombard, Amanda T., 2021, Azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) from South Africa, ZooKeys 1066, pp. 1-198 : 1

Anomocora marchadi (Chevalier, 1966)

Fig. 1C-F

Ceratotrochus johnsoni . - Gardiner 1904: 118-119, pl. 1, figs 5A-C, pl. 2, fig. M. -Gardiner and Waugh 1938: 188.

Dasmosmilia marchadi Chevalier, 1966: 944-949, pl. 5, figs 3, 4.

Asterosmilia marchadi . - Cairns and Keller 1993: 249, fig. 6A, B.

Balanophyllia capensis . - Boshoff 1981: 40 (in part).

Anomocora marchadi . - Cairns 2000: 130-131. - Cairns 2004: 276. - Reyes et al. 2009: 26, 27, fig. 4A-Q.

Type locality.

Off Cape Verde, Senegal (RV 'Gerard Tréca’ stn 18-2-1954); 97-98 m (Chevalier 1966).

Type material.

The holotype is deposited at the MNHN ( Cairns 1979).

Material examined.

SAMC_A090093 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, 14 km off Durban / 12 km Mbokodweni Estuary, 29°58'00.00"S, 31°01'59.99"E; 49 m. SAM_H1683 (1 specimen): Western margin, 22 km off Cape Town / 13 km off Elsies Estuary , 34°04'59.99"S, 18°19'59.99"E; depth unknown. SAM_H3098 (2 specimens): Eastern margin, 6 km off Durban / 9 km off Umgeni Estuary, 29°52'59.99"S, 31°03'05.00"E; 86 m. SAM_H3099 (7 specimens): Eastern margin, 19 km from Shaka’s Rock / 3 km off Mdloti Estuary, 29°38'59.99"S, 31°07'59.99"E; 71- 73 m. SAM_H3100 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, 9 km from Shaka’s Rock / 2 km off Tongati Estuary, 29°34'00.00"S, 31°10'59.99"E; 66 m. ORI_EIa4 (1 specimen): no locality data. USNM 91561 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, 41 km south of Ponta Do Ouro / 26 km off Kosi Bay Estuary, 27°13'03.60"S, 32°49'18.00"E; 60 m.

Imagery data.

BMNH 1950.1.10.118 (2 specimens), BMNH1950.3.22.13 (2 specimens): no locality data. SAM_H1456 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, 9 km from Shaka’s Rock/2 km off Tongati Estuary, 29°34'00.00"S, 31°10'59.99"E; 66 m. SAM_H2806 (1 specimen): no locality data. MN_ZH17 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, 59 km off Cape Vidal/10 km of Mgobezeleni Estuary, 27°37'00.00"S, 32°40'54.00"E; 65-70 m.

Description.

Corallum solitary, ceratoid, tapering to a free pointed base. Axial corallite with ≤ two secondary corallites. Corallites bud from margin zone of parent corallum. Budding extra-tentacular. Calices round to slightly elliptical (GCD:LCD = 1.0-1.1), with serrated calicular margin. Largest specimen examined (SAMC_A90093) 9.8 × 8.9 mm in CD and 16.1 mm in H. Costae prominent and unequal in width. C1-2 wider than C3-4. All costae granulated and separated by broad intercostal striae extending from calicular margin to base. Corallum white to reddish brown.

Septa hexamerally arranged in four cycles according to formula: S1 > S2 > S3 > S4 (48 septa). S1 highly exsert, with straight axial margin that fuse to columella deep in fossa. S2 slightly less wide and less exsert than S1, but otherwise similar in profile. S3 ½ width and less exsert than S2, with dentate axial margin, each bearing a paliform lobe (P3). In each system, a pair of P3 fuse before S2 near columella. S4 as exsert as S3, but rudimentary in development. Septal faces bear granules arranged perpendicular to septa margin. Fossa of moderate depth, containing a crispate columella which is usually indistinguishable to pali.

Distribution.

Regional: Western and eastern margin of South Africa, from Cape Town towards the Kosi Bay estuary, (41 km south of Ponta Do Ouro: Mozambique); 49-86 m. Elsewhere: off Pensacola; Florida; southern Caribbean from Colombia to Peninsula de Paria Venezuela ( Cairns 1979; Reyes et al. 2009); from Spanish Sahara to Gabon ( Zibrowius 1980); Philippines; Indonesia ( Cairns and Zibrowius 1997); South China Sea; Mozambique; off Pemba; Tanzania; Maldives (Gardiner and Waugh 1938; Cairns and Keller 1993); 32-229 m.

Remarks.

Anomocora marchadi differs from A. prolifera ( Pourtalès, 1871) in having P3 fusing before S2 near the columella ( Cairns 1979). However, A. prolifera has not yet been reported from South Africa, thus A. marchadi differs from the only other species reported in the region ( A. fecunda ), in having paliform lobes indistinguishable from the columellar elements. Anomocora marchadi was first reported from South Africa by Gardiner (1904), off Cape Natal. Subsequently, Boshoff (1981) incorrectly identified this species as Balanophyllia capensis . Nonetheless, material examined herein extends the known South African distribution of this species further north towards Durban.

Figures

Figure 1. A, B Anomocora fecunda (SAMC _ A 073042, off Shaka's Rock, 200 m) A calicular view B lateral view C, F Anomocora marchadi C, D (SAMC _ A 090093, off Durban, 49 m) C calicular view D lateral view E, F (SAM _ H 3100, off Shaka's Rock, 66 m) E calicular view F lateral view G, H Aulocyathus juvenescens (Mortensen 25, off Durban, 424 m) G calicular view H lateral view I, J Aulocyathus sp. cf. Aulocyathus matricidus (DIa 1, locality data unknown) I calicular view J lateral view K, L Caryophyllia (Acanthocyathus) grayi (USNM 91541, off Kosi Bay, 98 m) K calicular view L lateral view M, N Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) diomedeae (MN _ SM 129, off Margate, 850 m) M calicular view N lateral view N, O Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) ephyala (SAMC _ A 072974, off Paternoster, 440 m) O Calicular view P Lateral view. Scale bars: 10 mm.