Echinogorgia sp. a

(Figs. 7 b, 9–10)

Material: RMNH Coel. 38769, one colony, Farur Island, coll. S.A. Mohtarami.

Description. The colony is 22 cm wide and 11 cm high, and a holdfast is present (Fig. 7 b). Branching is in one plane, anastomoses are frequent, forming a network. Polyps are situated all around the branches, the calyces are low, dome-shaped.

Polyps are retracted, with a collaret and points formed from flattened spindles, up to 0.20 mm long, with sparse tuberculation (Fig. 9 a). The point spindles have one end slightly dentate.

Surface layer of the coenenchyme has thornscales, up to 0.40 mm long; additionally a few unilaterally spinose spindles are present (Figs. 9 c, 10a–b). The inner layer has spindles, up to 0.40 mm long, many with one or two side branches (Figs 9 b, 10c). Furthermore, small derivatives of capstans are present; length of these sclerites up to 0.10 mm (Fig. 9 d).

Colour. Alive, the colony was purple in colour, preserved it is brown. Sclerites are colourless.

Remarks. According to Grasshoff (1999) Echinogorgia species with colourless sclerites are rare.