Melithaea retifera ( Lamarck, 1816 )

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 : 31

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5236.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:796FF9F5-E71F-4C69-92CC-CF4D6752BD77

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7641046

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0388B641-7B08-FFB2-FF56-FC08FB6DF88D

treatment provided by

Plazi (2023-02-08 15:54:05, last updated 2024-11-28 18:43:59)

scientific name

Melithaea retifera ( Lamarck, 1816 )
status

 

Melithaea retifera ( Lamarck, 1816) View in CoL View at ENA

Melitaea retifera Lamarck, 1816: 299

Opinion: There is no evidence that this species occurs in the region.

Justification:

These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable: Kumar et al. 2019a: 1517–1518, figs. 1–3 (Havelock Is.).

Literature analysis: Originally named Melitaea retifera , the taxonomic details of this old Lamarck species are unknown, so it is not possible to objectively identify any specimens as this species. Kumar et al. (2019a) obviously based their description on “? Mopsella retifera ( Lamarck, 1816) ” in the paper by Ofwegen (2000), but appear to have misunderstood the context. They used a near identical synonymy list but included Isis aurantia Esper , which Ofwegen had stated was not a synonym. Several early authors (see Kükenthal 1924: 67) placed Melitaea retifera as a synonym of Mopsella aurantia ( Esper, 1798) , original name Isis aurantia Esper, 1798 , but Isis aurantia has been found not to be a Mopsella (see Grasshoff 1991).

Kolliker (1865: pl. 19, fig. 38) figured a coenenchymal sclerite of a form typical for some species of Mopsella from what he claimed was a specimen of Melitaea retifera . Ofwegen (2000: 298) likened this sclerite form to a flower bud and on the assumption that the original Melitaea retifera may have been a Mopsella he described a species of that genus that had “flower-bud”-like sclerites, but he offered the disclaimer: “...we provisionally describe the species as Mopsella retifera ( Lamarck, 1816) . Whether Lamarck’s Melitaea retifera is the same as the presently described material is a subject for further research.” Regardless, the coenenchymal “flower-buds”, spindles, and calyx leaf clubs figured by Kumar et al. are quite different to those illustrated by Ofwegen.

Esper, E. J. G. (1798) Die Pflanzenthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit. Farben erleuchtet nest Beschreibungen, Nurnberg, 48 pp.

Kolliker, R. A. (1865) Die bidessubstanz der Coelentraten. In: Kolliker, A (Ed.), Icons histiologicae oder Atlas der verglechenden Gewebelehre. Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig, pp. 95 - 181. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 82233

Kukenthal, W. (1924) Gorgonaria. Das Tierreich. Vol. 47. Walter de Gruyter and Co., Berlin und Leipzig, xxviii + 478 pp.

Kumar, J. S. Y., Geetha, S., Raghunathan, C. & Sornaraj, R. (2019 a) New record of Melithaea retifera (Lamarck, 1816) from Andaman and Nicobar Island, India. Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences, 48 (10), 1516 - 1520.

Lamarck, M. C. (1816) Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertebres. Tome Second. Verdiere, Paris, 568 pp.

van Ofwegen, L. P., Goh, N. K. C. & Chou, L. M. (2000) The Melithaeidae (Coelenterata: Octocorallia) of Singapore. Zoologische Mededelingen, Leiden, 73, 285 - 304.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Cnidaria

Class

Anthozoa

Order

Alcyonacea

SubOrder

Scleraxonia

Family

Melithaeidae

Genus

Melithaea