Tubastraea micranthus (Ehrenberg, 1834)

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

Tubastraea micranthus (Ehrenberg, 1834)

Fig. 11B

Oculina micranthus Ehrenberg, 1834: 304.

Dendrophyllia nigrescens Dana, 1846: 387. - Vaughan 1918: 143-144, pl. 60, figs 1, 1A. - Searles 1956: 24, pl. 39A. -Stephenson and Wells 1956: 55. - Wells 1964: 108.

Coenopsammia viridis Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848b: 110.

Dendrophyllia micranthus . -van der Horst 1922: 49-51. -van der Horst 1926: 43-44, pl. 2, figs 6, 7. -Faustino 1927: 218-220, pl. 72, figs 1, 2. -Crossland 1952: 171-172. -Stephenson and Wells 1956: 55. -Nemenzo 1960: 16-17, pl. 8, fig. 2. - Scheer and Pillai 1974: 63, pl. 29, fig. 3. -Pillai and Scheer 1976: 16. -Betterton 1981: 242, figs 199-200. - Boshoff 1981: 41.

Dendrophyllia micranthus var. grandi Crossland, 1952: 173, pl. 55, fig. 1, pl. 56, fig. 1.

Tubastraea micranthus . - Macnae and Kalk 1958: 123. -Scheer and Pillai 1983: 175-176, pl. 41, figs 7-8. - Schuhmacher 1984: 94, figs 1A-B, 4. - Zibrowius and Grygier 1985: 130. - Cairns and Zibrowius 1997: 195-196. - Cairns 1998: 410. - Cairns et al. 1999: 28. - Cairns 2001: 29. -Paula and Creed 2004: 176, 181. -Cairns 2004a: 267, 318. -Tachikawa 2005: 20-21, pl. 13, figs G-K. -Sammarco et al. 2010: 131-140, figs 2A, 3A, 4A. - Cairns 2009: 28.

Tubastrea micrantha . - Wells 1964: 108. -Ogawa and Takahashi 1993: 99-100, pl. 4, figs 1-6, pl. 6, figs 5, 6.

Dendrophyllia cf. micrantha . - Best et al. 1980: 621.

Tubastraea micrantha . -Pichon 1978: 441. - Wells 1983. - Veron 1986: 583, fig. 3, 585, figs 3, 7. - Cairns and Keller 1993: 282. -Romano and Cairns 2000: 1049.

Dendrophyllia diaphana . - Boshoff 1981: 42.

Type locality.

Unknown.

Type material.

Unknown.

Material examined.

ORI_EIb3 (1 specimen): Locality data unknown.

Description.

Colony dendroid, more or less uniplanar, branching formed by extra-tentacular budding. Coralla reaching ≤ 125.0 mm in H, and 30.0 mm in PD. Corallites projecting at 45° angle from axial branch, being circular to slightly elliptical (GCD:LCD = 1.1-1.5), and reaching ≤ 7 mm in CD. Calicular margin slightly serrated. Theca thin and porous, particularly near calicular margin. Costae well developed, ridged, and granular. Intercostal striae porous. Corallum white and more porous distally. Coenosarc dark green or brown in live specimens.

Septa hexamerally arranged in three complete cycles according to the formula: S1> S2 >> S3. S1 non-exsert with straight axial margins. S2 ~ ¾ the width of S1, also having straight axial margins. S3 rudimentary, and bearing dentate to laciniate axial margins. Fossa of deep, especially that of axial corallites. Columella rudimentary.

Distribution.

Regional: Eastern margin of South Africa ( Boshoff 1981); depth unknown. Elsewhere: Mozambique ( Cairns and Keller 1993); Red Sea (Scheer and Pillai 1983); Comoro Islands (Schuhmacher 1084); Seychelles ( Milne-Edwards and Haime 1848b); Madagascar (Pichon 1978); Mauritius; Maldives; Nicobar Islands ( Scheer and Pillai 1974); Australia; (Cairns 2004a); wide-spread in the tropical Pacific ( Cairns and Zibrowius 1997); 0-50 m.

Remarks.

Tubastraea micranthus superficially resembles Dendrophyllia ijimai in having a more or less uniplanar colony, but can be distinguished in bearing three normally arranged septal cycles as compared with five incomplete cycles arranged in a Pourtalès plan in the latter. This arborescent and sympodial branching further makes T. micranthus unique to the other congeners ( Cairns and Keller 1993).

Figures

Figure 11. A Tubastraea sp. cf. Tubastraea diaphana (SAM _ H 5103, Cape Vidal, 59 m) A lateral view B Tubastraea micranthus (ORI _ EIb 3, locality data unknown) B full view C, D Flabellum (Flabellum) leptoconus (ORI _ DIIa 1, Port St. Johns, 409 - 440 m) C calicular view D lateral view E, H Flabellum (Flabellum) pavoninum E, F (SAMC _ A 073135, off Coffee Bay, 250 - 280 m) E calicular view F lateral view G, H (SAM _ H 4582, off Shaka's Rock, 150 m) G calicular view H lateral view I, J Flabellum (Flabellum) politum (SAMC _ A 090160, off Shaka's Rock, 53 - 57 m) I calicular view J lateral view K, L Flabellum (Ulocyathus) alabastrum (SAMC _ A 090102, off the Agulhas, 168 m) K calicular view L lateral view M, N Flabellum (Ulocyathus) lowekeyesi (SAM _ H 1695, off Kosi Bay Estuary, 720 - 780 m) M calicular view N lateral view O, P Javania antarctica (SAMC _ A 090150, off Gouritsmond, 333 m) O calicular view P lateral view. Scale bars: 10 mm.