Telesto sanguinea Deichmann, 1936

Devictor, Susan T. & Morton, Steve L., 2010, Identification guide to the shallow water (0 - 200 m) octocorals of the South Atlantic Bight 2599, Zootaxa 2599 (1), pp. 1-62 : 27-28

Telesto sanguinea Deichmann, 1936

( Figure 27 )

Telesto sanguinea Deichmann, 1936:41 ; Plate 1 fig. 5[sic. 3]; Plate 2 figs. 9–12.— Bayer 1952:183.—Baye, 1961:44; Fig. 6a–e ; Fig. 9e .— Cairns et al. 2002:33.

Material examined. USNM 50357, 26 m, ESE of Port Royal Sound , South Carolina, February 3, 1940 . USNM 50358, 29 m, off Daytona Beach , FL, January 19, 1940 . SERTC 2487 , 30.5 m, off Edisto Island , South Carolina, April 29, 2005 . SERTC 2689 , 19.5 m, off Edisto Island , South Carolina, April 29, 2005 .

Remarks. Telesto sanguinea colonies are monopodially branched and may have multiple branches rising from stolons. The daughter polyps sometimes develop into tertiary branches. The color of the coenenchyme is bright red but may be obscured or completely encrusted by fouling organisms such as sponges and bryozoans. The species may rarely be orange, pink or yellow ( Bayer 1961). As is typical of the members of this genus in the Atlantic, there are eight longitudinal grooves present in the body wall of the primary polyp but they are sometimes more distinct near the calyces or the base of the colony.

This species, which may resemble Telesto fruticulosa , can be distinguished by the presence of a dense layer of flattened rods oriented vertically in the proximal region of the tentacles and two rows of rods oriented horizontally in the distal region of the tentacles, reaching the tip. The coenenchymal sclerites consist of small (0.2 mm) granules that are lumpy on one side and coarsely warted on the other, as well as blunt, branching bodies. There occurs some moderate fusion among the sclerites, usually in the form of 2–3 weakly connected individuals. The sclerites generally appear glassy but occasionally some opaque pink or white granular bodies are observed, often near the base of the colony. The sclerites are usually red and are consistent with the color of the colony.

This species appears to be relatively common in hardbottom communities in the SAB, and has a more southern range than T. fruticulosa .

Atlantic distribution: South Carolina to the Florida Keys and Gulf of Mexico, 18–134 m ( Deichmann 1936; Bayer 1961; NMNH collections; SERTC collection).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Pennatulaceans A, Virgularia presbytes and B, Stylatula elegans, indicating autozooids (Au), polyp leaves (Pol. le.) and needles (Ne) (scale bar for A = 5 mm; B = 1mm).

FIGURE 9. a) Pseudodrifa nigra, basal disc indicated; b) holdfast of Muricea pendula; c) encrusting colony of Scleranthelia rugosa (from Bayer 1981a).

FIGURE 27. Telesto sanguinea: A, sclerites of preserved specimen (USNM 50357); a) fused sclerites from coenenchyme; b) sclerite from coenenchyme; c–f) sclerites from calyx; g–j) rods from polyp (scale bar = 0.05 mm); B, close up of polyp showing orientation of polyp sclerites; C, preserved specimen (S2487); (scale bar = 1 cm).