Stephanocyathus (Odontocyathus) nobilis (Moseley, 1873)

Filander, Zoleka N., Kitahara, Marcelo V., Cairns, Stephen D., Sink, Kerry J. & Lombard, Amanda T., 2021, Azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) from South Africa, ZooKeys 1066, pp. 1-198 : 1

Stephanocyathus (Odontocyathus) nobilis (Moseley, 1873)

Fig. 5J-L

Ceratrochus nobilis Moseley in Thomson, 1873: 402, fig. 3. -Moseley in Thomson 1876: 554.

Stephanotrochus nobilis . - Moseley 1881: 155, pl. 3, fig. 3A-B. -Jourdan 1895: 20.

Stephanotrochus nitens Alcock in Wood-Mason & Alcock, 1891: 7-8.

Stephanotrochus platypus . -Jourdan 1895: 19, pl. 2, figs 14-16.

Stephanotrochus diadema var. nobilis . - Gravier 1920: 47-51, pl. 5, figs 80-86, pl. 6, figs 87-89, pl. 14, figs 205, 206.

Sabinotrochus opulens Gravier, 1920: 54, pl. 6, figs 101-103.

Stephanocyathus nobilis . -Gardiner and Waugh 1938: 189-192, pl. 6, figs 13, 15. -Pillai and Scheer 1976: 16. - Zibrowius 1980: 101-108, pl. 51, figs A-K.

Stephanocyathus (Odontocyathus) nobilis . - Cairns 1979: 110-111, pl. 20, figs 7, 10. - Cairns and Keller 1993: 242, fig. 5D, E.

Type locality.

South of Flores, Azores (HMS ‘Challenger’ stn. 38°30'00"N, 31°14'00"W); 1830 m (Moseley 1876).

Type material.

The holotype is deposited at the NHMUK ( Zibrowius 1980).

Material examined.

SAM_H1697 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, 58 km south of Ponta Do Ouro/ 46 km off Mgobezeleni Estuary, 27°21'18.00"S, 33°03'53.99"E; 1050 m.

Description.

Corallum bowl-shaped with rounded base. BD smaller than CD. Base eroded but usually having a basal scar indicating point of previous attachment. Prominent basal tubercles corresponding to C1-2. Calice slightly elliptical (GCD:LCD = 1.03), with serrated calicular margin. Only specimen examined 41.3 × 40.0 mm in CD, 29.3 in BD, and 24.9 mm in H. Lower costae unevenly sized and spaced. C1-2 prominent and extending from calicular margin to base. Theca mostly smooth and glossy, with traces of costae, which change to 2-3 tubercles at basal inflection point, and progressively becoming less prominent at basal centre. C3-5 subequal, with thin and deep striae at calicular margin, becoming faint and slowly disappearing towards base. All costae covered by fine granules. Corallum white.

Septa hexamerally arranged in five cycles, the last cycle being incomplete, according to the formula: S1 ≥ S2 > S3 > S4 > S5 (≤ 76 septa). S1-2 highly exsert and extend to columella with straight axial margins. P1-2 separated from their respective septum by a shallow notch. P1 reaches/fuses to columella. S3 less exsert and 3/4 the width of S1-2. S3 axial margins straight to slightly sinuous and bear a palus (P3). P3 sometimes joined by adjacent S4 deeper in fossa. S4 less exsert and ½ the width of S3, with straight axial margins. S5 rudimentary but as exsert as S4. All septal faces covered with fine granules. Pali variable in size, shape, and height. P1-3 form an inner crown encircling the well-developed papillose columella composed of closely packed rods. Fossa relatively deep, but reported to be shallow in smaller specimens.

Distribution.

Regional: Eastern margin of South Africa, off Mgobezeleni Estuary (58 km south of Ponta Do Ouro: Mozambique); 1050 m. Elsewhere: Mozambique ( Cairns and Keller 1993); off Zanzibar; off Kenya (Gardiner and Waugh 1938); Madagascar (Gardiner and Waugh 1938); Arabian Sea ( Wood-Mason and Alcock 1891 a); Maldives (Gardiner and Waugh 1938); off England; Azores; Gulf of Guinea ( Zibrowius 1980); 609-2200 m.

Remarks.

As mentioned in the remarks section of Stephanocyathus (O.) campaniformis , S. nobilis may be confused with S. campaniformis but differs in corallum size and height in relation to GCD. Both species have overlapping distributional patterns and are reported to occur in the Indian and Atlantic Ocean basins, this observation leading up to historical discussions around the validity of the Indian Ocean representatives as S. nobilis . However, Cairns and Keller (1993) agreed with Zou (1988) and confirmed that the Indian and Atlantic Ocean representatives are indeed one species of S. nobilis . The current Indian Ocean record represents a southern range extension from Mozambique and is a new record for South Africa.

Figures

Figure 5. A, F Stephanocyathus (Acinocyathus) explanans: A, C (USNM 62500, off Durban, 183 - 220 m) Calicular view B basal view C lateral view D, F (SAMC _ A 090144, off Port St Johns, 96 - 98 m) D calicular view E basal view F lateral view G, I Stephanocyathus (Odontocyathus) campaniformis (SAM _ H 3178, off Coffee Bay, 1420 m) G calicular view H basal view I lateral view J, L Stephanocyathus (Odontocyathus) nobilis (SAM _ H 1697, off Groot Berg Estuary, 1050 m) J calicular view K basal view L lateral view M, N Tethocyathus virgatus (SAMC _ A 073180, off Mazeppa Bay, 240 - 250 m) M calicular view N lateral view O, P Trochocyathus (Trochocyathus) sp. 1 (SAM _ H 1244, off East London, 59 m) O calicular view P lateral view. Scale bars: 10 mm.