Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) rugosa Moseley, 1881

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

Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) rugosa Moseley, 1881

Fig. 2I, J

Caryophyllia rugosa Moseley, 1881: 141-143, pl. 1, fig. 8. -Wells 1954: 469, pl. 177, figs 5, 6. -Cairns 1984: 11-13, pl. 2, figs A, B, pl. 4, fig. I. - Cairns 1991: 20. - Cairns and Keller 1993: 236, fig. 3I. - Kitahara et al. 2010a: 108, figs 93-97.

Caryophyllia paraoctopali Yabe & Eguchi, 1942b: 120, 150, pl. 10, fig. 12.

Caryophylliia (Caryophyllia) rugosa . -Cairns 1994: 47, pl. 20, fig. I, pl. 21, fig. A. - Cairns and Zibrowius 1997: 91-92. - Cairns 1998: 375. - Kitahara and Cairns 2021: 495-496, 498, figs 269H-I, 271, 272A-C.

Type locality.

Off Banda and Sulu Seas, Indonesia (HMS ‘Challenger’ stns 192 and 201); 187-230 m ( Moseley 1881).

Type material.

Syntypes are deposited at the BMNH (Cairns 1994).

Material examined.

SAMC_A073073 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, 29 km off Richards Bay / 20 km off Nhlabane Estuary, 28°44'23.99"S, 32°23'12.11"E; 320- 340 m. SAMC_A073180 (1 specimen): Southern margin, 33 km from Mazeppa Bay / 24 km off Cwili Estuary, 32°45'47.88"S, 28°36'24.12"E; 240- 250 m. SAMC_A090071(1 specimen): Eastern margin, 15 km south of Ponta Do Ouro / 17 km off Kosi-Kumpungwini (Sifungwe) Estuary, 26°55'30.00"S, 33°01'05.99"E; 370 m. SAMC_A090077 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, 34 km off Port Dunford / 38 km off Kosi-Kumpungwini (Sifungwe) Estuary, 29°10'00.00"S, 32°04'59.99"E; 170 m. USNM 91529 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, 37 km south of Ponta Do Ouro / 23 km off Kosi Bay Estuary, 27°11'05.99"S, 32°50'53.88"E; 100 m.

Description.

Corallum small, ceratoid to trochoid, and attached through a robust pedicel (PD:GCD = 0.3-0.8) that expands into a large encrusting base. Calice circular to elliptical (GCD:LCD = 1.0-1.2), with serrated calicular margin. Largest examined specimen (USNM 91529) 6.9 × 5.8 mm in CD, 2.4 mm in PD, and 12.5 mm in H. Costae covered with well-defined transverse ridges; ridges split and re-join around corallum. Corallum white to light brown.

Septa octamerally arranged in three cycles according to the formula: S1 > S2 > S3 (32 septa). However, one specimen (SAMC_A090071) has decamerally arranged septa (40 septa). S1 highly exsert, extending almost to columella. S2-3 becoming progressively narrower and less exsert. All septa bear sinuous axial margins, sinuosity being extreme in S1-2. S2 bearing a highly sinuous and thick pali (8 P2). Fossa shallow containing a prominent fascicular columella.

Distribution.

Regional: Eastern margin of South Africa, off Kei Mouth extending towards Kosi Bay Estuary, (15 km south of Ponta Do Ouro: Mozambique); 100-370 m. Elsewhere: New Caledonia ( Kitahara et al. 2010a; Kitahara and Cairns 2021); Hawaii (Cairns 1984); Japan; East China Sea (Cairns 1994); Philippines; Indonesia ( Cairns and Zibrowius 1997); Wallis and Futuna Islands; Vanuatu ( Cairns 1999a); Australia ( Cairns 1998, 2004; Kitahara et al. 2010); New Zealand ( Cairns 1995); Mozambique; Kenya; and Maldives ( Cairns and Keller 1993); 71-581 m.

Remarks.

Kitahara et al. (2010) noted that Caryophyllia (C.) rugosa is easily distinguished from congeners by the presence of transverse ridges and its extremely sinuous septa and pali. Although some specimens have a hexameral or decameral symmetry, the most common septal symmetry is octameral (Kitahara et al. 2010). South African specimens have both septal symmetries (octameral and decameral), for which the specimen (SAMC_A090071) that have decamerally arranged septa also displays rejuvenescence of the corallum. Caryophyllia rugosa was previously reported from South African waters by Cairns and Keller (1993) off Lake Kosi (in KwaZulu-Natal), and the examined specimens herein extend its regional distribution further north towards the Mozambican border.

Figures

Figure 2. A, B Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) grandis (SAMC _ A 073150, off Mazeppa Bay, 480 - 490 m) A calicular view B lateral view C, D Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) lamellifera (SAMC _ A 090155, off Sodwana Bay, 120 m) C calicular view D lateral view E, F Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) profunda (DTE Valdivia Stn 108, off Agulhas, 126 m) E calicular view F lateral view G, H Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) quadragenaria (USNM 91539, Eastern coast, off Shaka's Rock, 350 m) G calicular view H lateral view I, J Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) rugosa (SAMC _ A 090071, off Kosi-Kumpungwini (Sifungwe) Estuary, 370 m) I calicular view J lateral view K, N Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) sarsiae K, L (MN _ SM 226, off Mazeppa Bay, 710 - 775 m) K calicular view L lateral view M, N (MN _ SM 174, off Kidds Beach, 760 m) M calicular view N lateral view O, P Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) scobinosa (SAM _ H 1248, off Durban, 91 m) O calicular view P lateral view. Scale bars: 10 mm.