Eleutherobia nezdoliyi, Dautova, Tatyana N. & Savinkin, Oleg V., 2009

Dautova, Tatyana N. & Savinkin, Oleg V., 2009, New data on soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) from Nha Trang Bay, South China Sea, Zootaxa 2027, pp. 1-27 : 2-3

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.186181
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6221721
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B771771D-362A-3917-E894-FCA1FF54A09B
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Eleutherobia nezdoliyi
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Eleutherobia nezdoliyi sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A, B, D, Figs. 2 View FIGURE 2 , 3 View FIGURE 3 , 4 View FIGURE 4 )

Material examined. Holotype: MIMB 16537, 12°11.49’N, 109°20.56’E, 12 m, 11 Nov 2005, Nok Island, Nha Trang Bay, South China Sea, Vietnam, coll. T. N. Dautova and O.V. Savinkin.

Paratypes: MIMB 16538, 4 specimens, 12° 9.7′ N, 109° 18′ E, 27 m, 7 Apr 2007, Mun Island, Nha Trang Bay, South China Sea, Vietnam, coll. O.V. Savinkin.

Description. Living colonies are up to 20 mm high ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A). The holotype ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 B) is slightly flattened, which was caused by fixation. The polyps have no sclerites and are semi-expanded or retracted into conical protuberances on the polyparium surface where the surface sclerites are arranged into 8 triangular zones. The surface layer of the polyparium is 1.5 mm thick; the stalk surface layer 0.5 mm.

The polyparium surface layer contains 6-, 7- and 8-radiate capstans, along with rods and crosses. The smallest sclerites are compact capstans, up to 0.05 x 0.037 mm, with 7 or 8 short crowded tubercles and a very short median waist ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 A): they are common. Larger 6-, 7- and 8-radiate capstans are up to 0.1 mm long. They are less compact, robust and also have a distinctly smooth waist ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 C). A few sclerites have poorly developed tubercles, so they can be considered as warty rods, up to 0.1 mm long and slightly flattened ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 D). Distinctly flattened, granulated rods with one expanded ending (up to 0.1 mm long, Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 E) are remarkable, but few. Crosses are very common ( Fig 2 View FIGURE 2 B). The polyparium interior contains sclerites of similar forms to those in the surface. However, the rods, up to 0.12 mm long, predominate and the 6- and 8-radiate capstans, up to 0.06 mm long, are quite rare. Crosses and flattened granulated rods with one expanded end are present in small numbers.

In the stalk surface, compact capstans are very rare ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 A). Longer 6-, 7- and 8-radiate capstans are robust and common ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 B). Sclerites up to 0.9 mm long with poorly developed outgrowths ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 C) may be considered as transitional forms to the few warty rods ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 D) and flattened granulated rods up to 0.9 mm long ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 E). Crosses are common.

The stalk interior has some 6- and 8-radiate capstans (up to 0.06 mm long, Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 A) and smooth rods with girdles of prominences at both ends ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 B). Other warty rods up to 0.12 mm long are abundant ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 E), and flattened granulated bodies are also common ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 D). Crosses and irregular warty bodies are present also ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 C).

Variability. No clear inter-colony variability in the sclerite forms and sizes were found between all studied specimens.

Colouration. Living colonies are orange. The surface layer of alcohol-fixed specimens is bright orange due to the colored sclerites ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 B, D); the colony interior is lighter, yellowish; anthocodiae are colorless.

Distribution. Nha Trang Bay (South China Sea, Vietnam).

Etymology. The species is named for Victor Nezdoliy, of the Joint Administration of the Russian- Vietnamese Tropical Centre in Nha Trang, an enthusiastic supporter of our work in the field.

Remarks. Of the nineteen Eleutherobia species only 5 have the anthocodiae without sclerites ( Verseveldt & Bayer 1988; Williams & Little 2001; Williams 2003). These are E. albiflora ( Utinomy, 1957) , E. aurea Benayahu & Schleyer, 1995 , E. flammicerebra Williams, 2003 , E. grayi ( Thomson & Dean, 1931) and E. rotifera ( J. S. Thomson, 1910) . E. nezdoliyi sp. nov. distinctly differs from them by its sclerite composition. E. albiflora has only small capstans and 8-radiates ( Utinomy 1957: 159–161, Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ). E. aurea ( Benayahu & Schleyer 1995: 5, Figs. 3–5 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 ), E. rotifera ( Verseveldt & Bayer 1988: 36) and E. flammicerebra ( Williams 2003: 425, Figs. 4–8 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 View FIGURE 7 View FIGURE 8 ) contain small capstans and tuberculate spheroids. E. grayi has no compact capstans, but has smooth, slender capstans and branched rods with long branchlets, both of which are lacking in the present species.