Astrangia sp.

Cairns, Stephen D., Häussermann, Verena & Försterra, Günter, 2005, A review of the Scleractinia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) of Chile, with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 1018 (1), pp. 15-46 : 20

Astrangia sp.

Fig. 1C

New Record. — Juan Fernández Islands , Chile, depth unknown, Dec 1926, 1 colony of 18 corallites, USNM 1021962 .

Remarks. —This is the first record of Astrangia from Chile, although its occurrence here is not unexpected, as the shallow­water rhizangiids, including Astrangia , Culicia , and Oulangia , are the most common type of Scleractinia in the shallow­water tropical and warm temperate eastern Pacific (see Durham & Barnard 1952, Cairns 1994). The taxonomy of the eastern Pacific Astrangia is extremely confused ( Cairns 1994) and thus no attempt is made to identify this single corallum, however an illustration and short description is provided below. Another specimen of Astrangia , consisting of about 20 corallites was collected at Cumberland Bay, Isla Róbinson Crusoe at an unknown depth in 1894. It is deposited at the Zoologisches Museum Berlin (5657) pers. comm. (H. Zibrowius 2004).

The specimen reported herein consists of 18 corallites encrusting a small rock 2.8 cm in width. The largest and best preserved corallite is 4.0 x 3.8 mm in CD and 5.3 mm in height. Corallites are light brown and have low, granular costae. The septal complement of the largest corallite is 8:8:16, resulting in 32 septa. The fossa is fairly deep and all septa bear several elongate teeth on their lower axial margins.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–B, Fungiacyathus pseudostephanus, USNM 80120, calicular and basal views, both x 2.3; C, Astrangia sp., USNM 1021962, x 3.4; D–E, Culicia stellata, USNM 1021978, stereo view of calice and detail of axial septal teeth, x 14, x 63, respectively; F, Culicia truncata, holotype, USNM 183, x 3.5; G–I, Bathycyathus chilensis (G, USNM 100707; H, USNM 100708; I, USNM 100711): G–H, calicular views, both x 1.9; I, colony, x 0.53. Scale bars for A–C, F–H = 5 mm; D = 1 mm; E = 0.1 mm; I = 2 cm.