Deltocyathus vaughani Yabe & Eguchi, 1932

Kitahara, Marcelo V. & Cairns, Stephen D., 2009, A revision of the genus Deltocyathus Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848 (Scleractinia, Caryophylliidae) from New Caledonia, with the description of a new species, Zoosystema 31 (2), pp. 233-248 : 240-241

Deltocyathus vaughani Yabe & Eguchi, 1932 ( Fig. 1D)

Levipalifer orientalis Vaughan, 1900: 201 , 202, pl. 16, figs 3-7 (junior secondary homonym of D. orientalis Duncan, 1876 ).

Deltocyathus vaughani Yabe & Eguchi, 1932: 388 , 389; 1937: 130, 135-138, pl. 20, figs 11a-c, 12a-c; 1942: 113, 126. — Eguchi 1965: 287, 3 figs; 1968: C35. — Eguchi & Miyawaki 1975: 57. — Keller 1982: 51, figs 2, 3, 7a, b. — Zibrowius & Grygier 1985: 121, fig. 12. — Hu 1987: 39. — Cairns 1994: 54, 55, pl. 23, figs i, j, pl. 24, figs a-c, f; 1999: 93, 94. — Cairns & Zibrowius 1997: 72. — Cairns et al. 1999: 22. — Ogawa 2006: 109.

Deltocyathus (Levipalifer) vaughani – Wells 1956: F423- 424, figs 325, 4a, b.

TYPE MATERIAL. — The holotype of Levipalifer orientalis is deposited at the USNM (19391).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Off Bosyu, Japan, depth unknown ( Levipalifer orientalis ).

NEW RECORDS. — BATHUS 4, stn DW 914, 1 specimen ( USNM 1114140). — NORFOLK 2, stn DW 2037, 1 specimen (MNHN-Scl.2008-0009).

DISTRIBUTION. — New Caledonia waters from 18°48.79’S, 163°15.23’E to 23°40’S, 167°41’E, 517- 616 m. Previous records: Japan, off Honshu and Kyushu ( Yabe & Eguchi 1932; Cairns 1994), Sagami Sea ( Ogawa 2006), 88-1097; Philippines and Indonesia regions ( Cairns & Zibrowius 1997), 247-807 m; Vanuatu region (Cairns 1999), 585- 919 m.

DESCRIPTION

Corallum circular with base flat to slightly convex bearing a small epicentre boss. Largest specimen examined (NORFOLK 2, stn DW 2037) 21 mm in calicular diameter and 9.1 mm in height. Costae rounded, granular and separated by intercostal furrows deeper at calicular edge. Near calicular margin, lateral faces of costae bears numerous pointed granules. All costae extend to base as a row of low and round granules, except from those of C3 and C4, which do not reach the centre of base. Corallum white.

Septa hexamerally arranged in 4 complete cycles (S1>S2>S4>S3) for a total of 48 septa. S1 highly exsert and only independent septa, almost reaching columella and bearing a wide lamellar paliform lobe that fuses to the columella. S2 less exsert and wide than S1, each bearing a paliform lobe (P2) recessed from columella moreso than P1. S3 smallest septa, bearing a wide pali. S4 as exsert as S3, slightly wider and often bear a narrow paliform lobe, which fuses to enclosed P3. If P4 are absent, inner edge of S4 fuses to P3. All septal and palar faces show sparsely pointed granules.

Fossa shallow containing and elongate columella composed by small interconnected, sometimes granulated papillae.

REMARKS

Among the three New Caledonia Deltocyathus species that do not have spines at the calicular edge and have four septal cycles ( D.vaughani , D. cameratus , D. crassiseptum ), D. vaughani is distinguished by having: a more robust corallum, a non-jagged calicular edge, all septa reaching the same distance

Deltocyathus ( Scleractinia , Caryophylliidae ) from New Caledonia from calicular margin, dimorphic S4 (those S4 near flanking S1 are larger than S3 and those flanking S2 are equal in width to S3) and the presence of P4. According to Cairns (1994) the presence of P4 can be used to distinguish this species from all other Deltocyathus with four septal cycles.