Bebryce grandicalyx (Kükenthal, 1924)

Williams, Gary C., 2018, Illustrated Key and Synopses of Shallow-water Gorgonians and Pennatulaceans of the Central Philippines, Part 2 (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Octocorallia), Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64 (13), pp. 361-398 : 365-366

Bebryce grandicalyx (Kükenthal, 1924)

Figures 9 , 10 , 11

MATERIAL EXAMINED.— CASIZG 216253; Philippines, Visayas, Siquijor Isalnd, Tambisan Point North (9.18°N 123.45°E); 24 m depth; 2 April 2016; coll. G.C. Williams; one partial colony wet-preserved in 95% ethanol. CASIZG 216316 (same data as CASIZG 216253).

REMARKS.— The genus Bebryce is characterized by the possession of unique sclerites known as rosettes – also referred to as double cups or spiny rosettes (Bayer et al. 1983:18), commonly found in the surface of the coenenchyme. Bayer and Ofwegen (2016) provided a revision and reexamination of type material of all species of the genus. In addition, Matsumoto and Ofwegen (2016) described three additional new species from Japan. According to these works, the two Philippine specimens examined here most closely resemble the Indonesian species Bebryce grandicalyx , by the appearance of the colonies as well as that of the rosettes and other sclerites. The colonies in life are vivid red to red-orange, and change to dark-brown when wet-preserved in ethanol.

SPECIES.— Twenty-seven described species are currently recognized.

OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION.— The genus Bebryce is distributed in the Indian, Pacific, and tropical western Atlantic Oceans. Twenty-four species have been described from the Indo-Pacific. Three species were described by Deichmann (1936) from the Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea — Bebryce cinerea , B. grandis , and B. parastellata .

REFERENCES.— Deichmann (1936); Ofwegen (2010f); Bayer and Ofwegen (2016); Matsumoto and Ofwegen (2016).

Figures

FIGURE 9. A. Bebryce grandicalyx. A-B. Underwater photographs of two colonies with polyps extended, southeastern Negros Island. C. Wet-preserved specimen (CASIZ 216253), Siquijor Island, scale bar = 50 mm.

FIGURE 10. Bebryce grandicalyx. Scanning electron micrographs of sclerites; rosettes from the surface of the coenenchyme, scale bar = 0.10 mm.

FIGURE 11. Bebryce grandicalyx. Scanning electron micrographs of sclerites. Four polyp sclerites (Top left); sclerites of the coenenchyme (Bottom half of figure), scale bar = 0.10 mm. A single rosette (Inset), scale bar = 0.05 mm.