Pachyseris speciosa (Dana, 1846)

Terraneo, Tullia I., Berumen, Michael L., Arrigoni, Roberto, Waheed, Zarinah, Bouwmeester, Jessica, Caragnano, Annalisa, Stefani, Fabrizio & Benzoni, Francesca, 2014, Pachyseris inattesa sp. n. (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Scleractinia): a new reef coral species from the Red Sea and its phylogenetic relationships, ZooKeys 433, pp. 1-30 : 6-7

Taxon classification Animalia Scleractinia Agariciidae

Pachyseris speciosa (Dana, 1846) Figures 1 d–g, 3, 11a, d

Pachyseris speciosa For synonymy, see Scheer and Pillai (1983).

Material examined.

Holotype: USNM 119 (Figures 2a, c). Type Locality: East Indies (U.S. Exploring Expedition).

Other material.

KAUST SA376, Shi'b Nazar, Saudi Arabia, 22°19'60.00"N, 38°51'15.78"E, 16 March 2013, coll. F. Benzoni; KAUST SA714, Ras Al-Ubayd, Saudi Arabia (MV Dream-Master, KBEA), 26°44.167'N, 36°02.659'E, 26 September 2013, coll. F. Benzoni; UNIMIB TO-DJ240, Obock, Djibouti (MV Tara, TOE), 11°57.517'N, 43°18.787'E, 3 February 2010, coll. F. Benzoni; UNIMIB TO-DJ341, Arta region, Djibouti (MV Tara, TOE), 11°35.365'N, 42°52.560'E, 10 February 2010, coll. F. Benzoni; UNIMIB SO020, Roosh, Socotra Island, 12°37.237'N, 54°21.090'E, 12 March 2010, coll. F. Benzoni; UNIMIB SO040, Ras Adho, Socotra Island, 12°38.638'N, 54°16.147'E, 13 March 2010, coll. F. Benzoni; BMRI 66, Semporna, Malaysia (MV Celebes Explorer, SMEE), 04°36'10.0"N, 118°45'53.6"E, 11 December 2010, coll. Z. Waheed; BMRI 68, Semporna, Malaysia, (MV Celebes Explorer, SMEE), 04°37'32.2"N, 118°40'58.0"E, 12 December 2010, coll. Z. Waheed; UNIMIB PFB342, Madang, Papua New Guinea (MV Alis, NIUGINI), 05°05.854'S, 145°48.525'E, 20 November 2012, coll. F. Benzoni; IRD HS2594, Ilot N'do, Nouméa, New Caledonia, 15 May 2009, coll. F. Benzoni.

Corallum: Unifacial and encrusting with foliose margins (Figure 1e) to laminar, sometimes forming tiers of laminae (Figure 1d). The corallum surface is corrugated due to the presence of mostly concentric continuous carinae (Figures 1 d–g, 3 a–d).

Calices: Arranged in rows, mostly indistinct although sometimes polyp mouths can have a distinct coloration in vivo (Figure 1g) allowing recognition of the position of the single calice underneath. Rows generally long and continuous (Figures 1 d–g, 3 a–d). Series of calices are arranged parallel to each other, concentric and separated by carinae with variable vertical development and inclination with respect to the corallum surface (Figures 1 d–g, 3 a–d). When asymmetrical, carinae are inclined towards the margin of the corallum.

Columella: Well-developed, low-lying in the valleys between carinae formed by the fusion of spatula-shaped processes extending from the inner end of the radial elements (Figure 3e). Radial elements of the higher order form larger processes alternating with the smaller ones from the elements of lower order (Figure 3e). In the same series of calices the processes forming the columella can be separate (Figure 3e) or completely fused (Figure 3f).

Radial elements: Radial elements are continuous across the carinae, regularly spaced and equal or slightly alternating (Figure 3 c–d). Lateral faces bear regularly distributed, parallel lines of granules or/and menianae. Such lateral ornamentation is variable and includes groups of clumped granules (Figure 2h), menianae with minutely beaded edges and vertically fused granules forming structures similar to menianae but oriented perpendicularly rather than parallel to the radial element margin (Figure 3 g–h). The upper margin of the radial elements is minutely beaded and typically attains a zigzag pattern with lateral ornamentations at the angles (Figure 3 g–h). This pattern can be so pronounced in some specimens as to give the radial elements a "wavy or even crenellated" appearance to the naked eye ( Veron and Pichon 1980: 84; Scheer and Pillai 1983).