Dendrophyllia gracilis Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848

Lam, Katherine, Morton, Brian & Hodgson, Paul, 2008, Ahermatypic corals (Scleractinia: Dendrophylliidae, Oculinidae and Rhizangiidae) recorded from submarine caves in Hong Kong, Journal of Natural History 42 (9 - 12), pp. 729-747 : 734-736

Dendrophyllia gracilis Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848

( Figure 1Q–R )

Cladopsammia gracilis Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848:100 , Plate 1, Fig. 13 Cladopsammia gracilis Wells, 1983 , 240–241, Plate 17, Figs 10–14

Dendrophyllia gracilis Verrill, 1866:29 , Plate 1, Fig. 2 , Plate 2, Figs 2 and 2a Dendrophyllia gracilis Scott, 1984:87 , Plate 44A; Cairns 1991:23, Plate 10a, b; Ogawa and Takahashi 1995:21, Plate 5, Figs 1 –12, Plate 7, Fig. 8

Description

Small bushy colonial corallum. Budding is mainly extratentacular on the corallite wall or basal coenosteum. Longer and shorter diameters of corallite up to, 9.8 mm and 8.5 mm, respectively;, 15 mm in height. The single Hong Kong specimen consists of four main corallites joined by the dead basal colony which had been smothered by mud. Cylindrical corallites are cup-shaped and range in size from 4– 5 mm in length and width and from 10–16 mm in height. Septal order is hexameral and in five cycles, with a duplicate P. plan. Septal size, in a descending order, is S 1.S 2.S 4.S 3. S 3 fused with a pair of S 4 which are, in turn, fused with a pair of curving S 5. Large corallite with deep fossa may express a triplicate P. plan. Irregularshaped spongy columella is well-developed in deep fossa. Living colony is orange.

Type locality

China.

Distribution

Galápagos Islands ( Wells 1983; Cairns 1991), Indo-West Pacific and off eastern Australia ( Wells 1983), Japan ( Ogawa and Takahashi 1995), Conic Island Cave, Hong Kong (this study) but also flat, horizontal rocks, 20–25 m ( Scott 1984) to 45 m ( Verrill 1866).

Figures

Figure 1. Balanophyllia sp. and Dendrophyllia sp. A–B, calicular (longer diameter56.5 mm) and side view of four solitary corallites of B. eguchii (maximum height59.02 mm); C–D, calicular (longer diameter514.9 mm) and top view of a B. ponderosa colony (height531.3 mm); E–G, calicular (longer diameter57.8 mm) and side views of two colonies of D. arbuscula (colony size of F and G535.1 mm and 40.1 mm, respectively); H–I, top and side views of a small D. arbuscula colony (height518.2); J–L, calicular (longer diameter511.7 mm) and top views of two colonies of D. ehrenbergiana (height of K and L513 mm and 19.8 mm, respectively); M–N, calicular (longer diameter513.4 mm) and side view of a colony of D. coccinea (height527 mm); O–P, calicular (longer diameter58 mm) and side view of colony of D. compressa (height533.1 mm); Q–R, calicular (longer diameter59.9 mm) and four solitary corallites of D. gracilis (maximum height521.2 mm).

Figure 2. Tubastrea sp. A–B, calicular (longer diameter58.2 mm) and top view of a colony of T. coccinea (length×width598.7 mm×34.6 mm); C–D, calicular (longer diameter56.37 mm) and top view of a colony of T. faulkneri (length×width568.9 mm×21.56 mm); E–J, calicular and side views of colonies of T. diaphana (height of F533 mm, height of G and H518.5 mm, longer calicular diameter and height of I and J59.9 and 21.5 mm, respectively); K–L, calicular (longer diameter59.5 mm) and top view of a colony of T. sibogae (height531.3 mm); M–O, calicular (longer diameter58.3 mm), top and side view of a colony of T. turbinata (height522.7 mm).