Pseudopterogorgia formosa ( Nutting, 1910 )

Ramvilas, Ghosh, Alderslade, Philip & Ranjeet, Kutty, 2023, The taxonomy of Indian gorgonians: an assessment of the descriptive records of gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) recorded as occurring in the territorial waters of India, along with neighbouring regions and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the highlighting of perceived unethical practice, Zootaxa 5236 (1), pp. 1-124 : 79

Pseudopterogorgia formosa ( Nutting, 1910)

Leptogorgia formosa Nutting, 1910c: 5–6 , pl. 1, fig. 2, 2a; pl. 3, fig. 2 (Bay of Pidjot, Lombok).

Pseudopterogorgia formosa Williams & Vennam 2001: 81 , fig. 13; Grasshoff & Alderslade 1997: 33, fig. 11b.

Opinion: There is not enough evidence that this species occurs the region.

Justification:

These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable: Fernando 2011: 86–87, pl. 57, fig. 1–1c (off Pamban); Fernando et al. 2017: 184, pl. 83, fig. 2–2c (Pamban).

Literature analysis: This species was erected for a specimen collected in Indonesia and was reassigned to the genus Pseudopterogorgia by Grasshoff & Alderslade (1997). The descriptions of the Indian material by Fernando (2011) and Fernando et al. (2017) are identical. The colony in their figure looks very much like that illustrated by Nutting, but the included sclerite figures are exceedingly small making it virtually impossible to see the necessary detail. There are short, medium and long spindles, many quite curved, with two very substantial median girdles of warts: the long curved sclerites are conspicuous and very slender and they appear to be scaphoids. The shape of the sclerites does not agree with those figured by Grasshoff & Alderslade (1997).