Sphaerasclera flammicerebra ( Williams, 2003 )

Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip & Vargas, Sergio, 2015, Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records, Zootaxa 3963 (2), pp. 160-200 : 182

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:86A305B7-2B9C-403E-8FC0-3420EFB13F52
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5680263
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9-A449-FFF1-17DB-57594F3FFED7
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Sphaerasclera flammicerebra ( Williams, 2003 )
status

Treatment

Sphaerasclera flammicerebra ( Williams, 2003) View in CoL new record

( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7. A – C H; 14; Tabs. 1, 2)

Eleutherobia flammicerebra Williams, 2003: 423 View in CoL –434, Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 a–c, 2–8.

Sphaerasclera flammicerebra McFadden & Ofwegen 2013: 66 View in CoL –67, Fig. 2–3 View FIGURE 2. A, B View FIGURE 3 .

Material examined. WAM Z31480, three whole specimens, 21.6–26.3 mm tall, stalk length 12.0– 20.4 mm, polyparium diameter 10.2–11.2 mm, Station PF06/S1-200/R 2, 190 km NW of Dampier, Pluto Gas Field, NW Australia, 19.9352°– 19.9308° S, 115.2261°– 115.2288° E, epibenthic sled, depth 200 m, coll. B.F. Cohen, 7 December 2005; WAM Z31465, one small colony, 16.2 mm tall, stalk length 9.4 mm, polyparium diameter 7.9 mm, Station PF06/S1-200/R 2, 190 km of NW of Dampier, Pluto Gas Field, 19.9352°– 19.9308° S, 115.2261°– 115.2288° E, epibenthic sled, depth, 200 m, coll. B.F. Cohen, 7 December 2005; WAM Z13065 View Materials , Station 1031302, North West Cape, 21.4672° S, 114.1016° E, epibenthic sled, depth 200–250 m, coll. P. Alderslade, J. Fromont and L.M. Marsh, 21 March 2002; WAM Z55265, one whole colony, 22.0 mm tall, stalk length 13.2mm, polyparium diameter 15.2 mm, Station SO1/84/055, Lacepede Archipelago, 19.9500°– 19.9833°S, 120.7683°– 120.7350° E, CSIRO FRV "Soela" cruise VI, trawl, depth 297 m, coll. S.M. Slack-Smith, 10 February 1984; WAM Z54995, one whole specimen, 32.4 mm tall, stalk length 20.9 mm, polyparium diameter 16.1 mm, Station SO1/84/056, Kimberley, Beagle Bay, 16.9297° S, 122.5411° E, CSIRO FRV "Soela" cruise VI, trawl, depth 301 m, coll. S.M. Slack-Smith, 1 February 1984; WAM Z55271, one whole specimen, 20.4 mm tall, stalk length 11.3 mm, polyparium diameter 14.9 mm, Station SO1/84/059, Kimberley, Beagle Bay, 15.1500°– 15.1833° S, 121.0833°– 120.0500° E, CSIRO FRV "Soela" cruise VI, trawl, depth 449 m, coll. S.M. Slack-Smith, 11 February 1984. All colonies are attached to a fragment of hard coral skeleton.

Description. All colonies are attached to hard corals and have a capitate growth form, with a rounded capitulum with a scrolled lower margin and a straight or slightly bent, distinct stalk ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7. A – C H). The polyps are monomorphic, numerous and evenly distributed over the entire surface of the capitulum. In the preserved specimens all polyp bodies are retracted forming low, round coenenchymal mounds at the surface. The stem is polyp free. Colonies are between 16.2–32.3 mm tall and the length of the stalks ranges between 9.40–20.9 mm. The height of the polypariums range between 7.0– 11.4 mm and have diameters between 7.9–16.1 mm. The diameter of the stalks ranges at base between 6.3–13.1 mm and between 4.2–11.5 mm at the distal end.

The surface of the polyparium is densely spiculated with large tuberculated spheroids between 0.12–0.20 mm long and smaller, oval 8-radiates 0.05–0.08 mm long ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 14 A). The sclerites of the interior of the polyparium are predominately round to oval-shaped tuberculated spheroids between 0.13–0.20 mm in length ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 14 B). Some robust 8-radiates around 0.17 mm in length are also present. The sclerites of the surface of the base is densely spiculated with large tuberculated spheroids 0.15–0.20 mm in length, medium-sized tuberculated spheroids mainly between 0.10–0.13 mm long, and smaller, oval 8-radiates 0.05–0.08 mm long ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 14 C). The sclerites in the interior of the stalk are predominately large tuberculated spheroids 0.17–0.21 mm in length and very robust radiates mainly around 0.10 mm long (14D). Polyp sclerites are absent.

Colour. The polyparium of the preserved colonies are cream to light orange with dark orange spots representing the protuberances. One colony has a uniformly light pink capitulum. The stalks are cream to orange. Sclerites are colourless and orange to around the protuberances.

Habitat. The specimens were sampled by epibenthic sled and trawl from a depth range between 200–449 m along the continental slope, but the exact habitat is unknown.

Remarks. Sphaerasclera flammicerebra ( Williams, 2003) was first described from Palau, Pacific Ocean. McFadden & Ofwegen (2013: 62, 66, 67, Table 1, Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2. A, B , 3 View FIGURE 3 ) included museum material of S. flammicerebra collected from New Caledonia in 2008 and Mauritius collected in 1929 in their phylogenetic and morphological analyses. This material of S. flammicerebra agrees with the original description by Williams (2003: 423–430, Fig. 1–8 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2. A, B View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 View FIGURE 7. A – C View FIGURE 8 ) in most characters. The main difference are the rather spiky 8-radiates of our material in comparison to more rounded 8-radiates of Williams (2003) material. As the colonies agree with the original description of S. flammicerebra by being monomorphic, in the absence of polyp sclerites, the size and shape of the colonies, the size and distribution of sclerites types, and the genetic similarity, we consider the difference in sclerite shape of the smaller 8-radiates as a intraspecific variation ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7. A – C , 14 View FIGURE 14 , 19 View FIGURE 19 , 20 View FIGURE 20 ).