Anthogorgia ochracea Grasshoff, 1999

Ramvilas, Ghosh, Alderslade, Philip & Ranjeet, Kutty, 2023, The taxonomy of Indian gorgonians: an assessment of the descriptive records of gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) recorded as occurring in the territorial waters of India, along with neighbouring regions and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the highlighting of perceived unethical practice, Zootaxa 5236 (1), pp. 1-124 : 40

Anthogorgia ochracea Grasshoff, 1999

Anthogorgia ochracea Grasshoff, 1999: 30 , fig. 42–45 ( New Caledonia).

Opinion: There is no evidence that this species occurs in the region.

Justification:

These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable: Kumar et al. 2014a: 54, pl. 24, fig. A–D (Munak Gate); Fernando et al. 2017: 59, pl. 23, fig. A–D (Munak Gate).

Literature analysis: This species was erected for numerous rust-red colonies from New Caledonia, and they are probably endemic to that region. The accounts of the Indian material by Kumar et al. (2014a) and Fernando et al. (2017) are identical, but they describe yellow colonies with blue polyps. Along with short rods, Grasshoff described and figured large, curved, somewhat flattened sclerites in the polyp tentacles of this species, which do not appear to be present in the Indian material. The same goes for the large oval sclerites and the short ellipsoid forms with huge warts that occur in the coenenchyme. Kumar et al. (2015) just lists the species and figure the colony illustrated in the Kumar et al. (2014a) and Fernando et al. (2017) papers.