Sinularia tessieri, Benayahu & Van Ofwegen, 2012

Benayahu, Yehuda & Van Ofwegen, Leen P., 2012, Octocorals (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) from Reunion, with a description of two new species of the genus Sinularia May, 1898 and notes on the occurrence of other species, Zoosystema 34 (4), pp. 673-699 : 682-688

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5252/z2012n4a2
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/090287D3-2756-306D-C432-FAD8BB17F2B1
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Sinularia tessieri
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Sinularia tessieri View in CoL n. sp.

( Figs 8-11 View FIG View FIG View FIG View FIG ; 16F, G View FIG )

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: ZMTAU Co 34502 and 4 microscope slides, Saint-Leu, Récif Pointe au Sel (Cimetière) (21°11’26.29”S, 55°16’59.27”E), reef slope, 16-20 m, 11.IV.2008. GoogleMaps

Paratype: RMNH Coel 40120, same data as holotype.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Reunion, Saint-Leu, Récif Pointe au Sel (Cimetière).

DISTRIBUTION. — So far known only from the type locality.

ETYMOLOGY. — The species is named after Dr Emmanuel Tessier, Manager, Association Parc marin de La Réunion, in appreciation of his initiative to conduct the octocoral survey in Reunion and his support during the field work and afterwards.

DESCRIPTION

Holotype: an encrusting colony, with maximum cross-section of 7 × 4 cm and height up to 4 cm ( Fig. 8A View FIG ). Polyparium consisting of short lobes and a few longer ones that may branch off once. Lobes and lobules mostly flattened, or occasionally knob-shaped, and in part tending to bend down towards each other. Colony with a hard texture.

Polyps with tentacle rods and some collaret and point sclerites ( Fig. 9 View FIG A-C). Tentacle rods up to 0.08 mm long ( Fig. 9A View FIG ). Point sclerites with poorly developed club-heads and up to 0.17 mm long ( Fig. 9B View FIG ). Collaret consisting of spindles, the longer ones slightly bent, up to 0.20 mm long ( Fig. 9C View FIG ).

Surface layer of the lobules containing clubs with warty heads and tubercles on handle, 0.07-0.16 mm long ( Fig. 9D View FIG ) and with a few crosses ( Fig. 9E View FIG ). In addition with spindles, up to 0.26 mm long, mostly with simple or, less commonly, complex tubercles ( Fig. 9F View FIG ).

Surface layer of base of colony containing clubs, similar to those of lobules, but wider, 0.10-0.20 mm long ( Fig. 10A View FIG ). Also spindles, up to 0.26 mm long ( Fig. 10B View FIG ).

Interior of the lobules with branched stout spindles, up to 2.70 mm long ( Fig. 11A View FIG ), with complex tubercles ( Fig. 11B View FIG ), or with simple ones ( Fig. 11C View FIG ). Interior of base with slightly longer spindles, occasionally branched, up to 3.30 mm long ( Fig. 11D View FIG ), with complex tubercles ( Fig. 11E View FIG ).

Colour

Preserved holotype dark brown, almost black.

Living features

The colony is light-grey in colour, expanded polyps are light-beige.

VARIABILITY

Paratype RMNH Coel 40120 differs in size of colony: maximum cross section 6 × 5 cm and hight of up to 2 cm ( Fig. 8B View FIG ).

REMARKS

Sinularia tessieri n. sp. belongs to Sinularia clade 2 of McFadden et al. (2009): polyps with collaret, points and tentacle rods; clubs with an indistinct

Nbof Location species 1. Saint-Paul, Pointe des Aigrettes 4 2. Saint-Paul, Pain de Sucre (Maharani) 11 3. Saint-Paul, Tours de Boucan 7 4. Saint-Paul, Planch’ Alizés 12 5. Saint-Paul, l’Ermitage face au ponton 8

au kiosque

6. Saint-Leu, Récif des Colimaçons 1 7. Saint-Paul, Cap la Houssaye 9 8. Saint-Leu, Pointe au Sel 10 9. Saint-Pierre, Terre Sainte 1 10. Saint-Leu, Pointe des Châteaux 19 11. Saint-Leu, Récif Pointe au Sel (Cimetière) 15 12. Passe de l’Ermitage 4 13. L’Ermitage, 30 km from St-Denis 6 14. Grande Ravine 9 15. Saint-Leu, Place Arche 1 16. Anse des Cascades 1

central wart. Both the holotype and paratype are encrusting (i.e. lack a stalk). The previously described three species ( S. parva Tixier-Durivault, 1970 , S. muqeblae Verseveldt & Benayahu, 1983 and S. soongi Benayahu & Van Ofwegen, 2011 ) with encrusting growth form in this clade have distinctly longer and differently-shaped clubs on the surface of their lobules than in S. tessieri n. sp. In S. parva the clubs are up to 0.30 mm and some are even 0.40 mm long (see Verseveldt 1980). Similarly, S. muqeblae has clubs up to 0.32 mm, with narrow head, and a more slender and pointed handle compared to those of S. tessieri n. sp. The recently described S. soongi , which also belongs to Sinularia clade 2, features clubs up to 0.25 mm long. Moreover, the stalked species of that clade differ from S. tessieri n. sp. Sinularia grandilobata Verseveldt, 1980 has clubs up to 0.10 mm long compared to up to 0.17 mm in the newly-described species. The clubs of S. capricornis Dautova, Van Ofwegen & Savinkin, 2010 are up to 0.18 mm long and the species features un-branched spindles in the interior of the lobes, as opposed to the stout and heavily branched ones of S. tessieri n. sp. ( Fig. 11A View FIG ). Notably, the latter stout spindles of S. tessieri n. sp. are not found in any of the species of clade 2. It is thus concluded that S. tessieri n. sp. differs from all previously-described species of clade 2.