Eusmilia fastigiata ( Pallas, 1766 )

Reyes, Javier, Santodomingo, Nadiezhda & Cairns, Stephen, 2009, Caryophylliidae (Scleractinia) from the Colombian Caribbean, Zootaxa 2262 (1), pp. 1-39 : 21

Eusmilia fastigiata ( Pallas, 1766)

Fig. 3T

Madrepora fastigiata Pallas, 1766: 301–302 .— Ellis & Solander, 1786: 152.

Caryophyllia fastigiata Lamouroux, 1821: 50 .— Ehrenberg, 1834:316.— Lamarck, 1836: 355.

Eusmilia fastigiata Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848: 264 , pl.5 fig. 1; 1857: p. 187.— Pourtalès, 1871: 67.— Vaughan, 1919: 361.— Almy & Carrión-Torres, 1963: 160–161. pl. 21, fig. a.— Roos, 1971: 83, pl. 52, figs. a–b.— Smith, 1971: 95, pl. 48.—Wells, 1973: 47–48, figs. 34–35.— Weisbord, 1974: 446–451, pl. 52, fig. 5.— Zlatarski & Martínez, 1982: 253–258, pls. 107–108.— Cairns, 1982: 299, fig. 133e–f.— Prahl & Erhardt, 1985.— Humann, 1993: 162–163, colour figs.— Reyes et al., 2002: 64–66 (conservation).

Remarks: E. fastigiata is a zooxanthellate coral species common in the Caribbean shallow coral reefs. The main habitats of the “smooth flower coral” are the back-reef and the reef-lagoon borders, and occasionally can be also found on the reef-slope. E. fastigiata rarely establishes monospecific aggregations in reefs ( Almy & Carrión-Torres 1963). Nevertheless, in the past E. fastigiata constituted an important coralline formation off Santa Marta Bay at the northern coast of Colombia; however, its populations have decreased, almost disappeared, over the past three decades in that area due to the construction of the Santa Marta harbour, and its consequent negative effects for the coralline fauna, such as the increment of sedimentation and pollution. For that reason, E. fastigiata was included in the Colombian Red List of Marine Invertebrates under the category of Vulnerable ( Reyes et al. 2002), according to the criteria established by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

Distribution: Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Bahamas ( Zlatarski & Martínez 1982). In Colombia, E. fastigiata is known from all continental and oceanic coral reefs ( Díaz et al. 2000).

Material: USNM Antonius collection, catalog numbers C2, C4, C6; INV CNI 52, 1 colony, BEM1861; INV CNI 136, 1 colony, BEM977; INV CNI 191, 1 colony, BEM916; INV CNI 257, 1 colony, BEM916; INV CNI 259, 1 colony, BEM-E1003; INV CNI 268, 1 colony, BEM6844; INV CNI 537, 1 colony, BEM3629; INV CNI 580, 1 colony, BEM6842; INV CNI 628, 1 colony, BEM3629; INV CNI 920, 1 colony, BEM6842.

Figures

FIGURE 3. A, Cladocora arbuscula, INV CNI215, off Santa Marta (Cinto Bay), colony, x 1.5; B, Polycyathus mayae, INV CNI797, off San Bernardo Islands, oblique lateral view, x 10; C–D, Deltocyathus calcar, D17 MARCORAL, off San Bernardo Islands, calicular and basal views, both x 4.4; E–F, Deltocyathus sp. cf. D. italicus, INV CNI711, off Cartagena, lateral and calicular views, both x 3; G–H, Deltocyathus eccentricus, INV CNI721, off San Bernardo Islands, calicular and lateral views, both x 4.2; I–J, Stephanocyathus (S.) diadema, INV CNI329, off Gulf of Uraba, calicular and basal views, both x 0.7; K–L, Stephanocyathus (S.) paliferus, INV CNI388, off Barranquilla, calicular and basal views, both x 1; M–N, Stephanocyathus (O.) coronatus INV CNI324, Venezuela, Cariaco Basin, calicular and lateral views, both x 1; O–P, Stephanocyathus (S.) isabellae INV CNI694, holotype, off San Bernardo Islands, calicular and basal views, both x 2.6; Q–R, Stephanocyathus (S.) isabellae, INV CNI2076, paratype, off San Bernardo Islands, calicular and basal views, both x 2.7; S, Thalamophyllia riisei, INV CNI676, off San Bernardo Islands, branching pattern, x 1.4; T, Eusmilia fastigiata; colony from calicular view, x 0.9. Scale bars for A, I–T = 1 cm; C–H = 5 mm; B = 1 mm.