Coenosmilia arbuscula Pourtalès, 1874

Reyes, Javier, Santodomingo, Nadiezhda & Cairns, Stephen, 2009, Caryophylliidae (Scleractinia) from the Colombian Caribbean, Zootaxa 2262 (1), pp. 1-39 : 27

Coenosmilia arbuscula Pourtalès, 1874

Fig. 4R

Coenosmilia arbuscula Pourtalès, 1874: 39–40 , pl. 7, fig. 1.— Cairns, 1979: 130–132, pl. 24, figs. 9–11, Map 36 (synonymy and description).— Rezak et al., 1985: 225 (listed).—Prahl & Erhardt, 1989: 547–548.— Cairns et al., 1991: 47 (listed).— Cairns et al., 1994: 4 (listed).— Reyes et al., 2005: 324 (listed).— Santodomingo et al., 2007: 286 (listed).

Coenosmilia fecunda Zibrowius, 1980: 131 (in part: pl. 68, figs. A–F). [Not Coelosmilia fecunda Pourtalès, 1871 ].

Remarks: Some specimens exhibit combined characteristics with A. fecunda , mainly in those stations where both species were collected alive. This mixture of morphological characters could be the result of hybridization and cross-breeding processes between these two species (see also A. fecunda remarks). C. arbuscula specimens were abundant on hard bottoms of the continental shelf, where azooxanthellate coralline communities develop. Colombian specimens are similar to USNM 80212 (Colombia-Nicaragua border).

Distribution: Amphi-atlantic; from 74 to 622 m depth ( Cairns 1979; 2000). In Colombia, C. arbuscula has been collected along the Caribbean coast, from La Guajira Peninsula (Prahl & Erhardt 1989) to San Bernardo Islands, between 72 and 218 m depth.

Material: USNM 46558 , P-1354; USNM 80221 , O-4832; USNM 80212 , O-3568; INV CNI401 , 3 specimens , E7; INV CNI402 , 37 specimens , E8; INV CNI403 , 10 specimens , E8; INV CNI404 , 86 specimens , E8; INV CNI405 , 3 specimens , E8; INV CNI852 E156; INV CNI853 , 1 specimen , E125; INV CNI2440 , 3 specimens , D12; INV CNI2461 , 21 specimens , C3; INV CNI2504 , + 50 specimens , D3; INV CNI2526 , + 50 specimens , D12; INV CNI2541 , + 50 specimens , D28; INV CNI2691 , 3 specimens , D31; INV CNI2831 , 2 specimens , C2; INV CNI2873 , + 10 specimens , D36; INV CNI2892 , 3 specimens , D28; INV CNI2898 , + 50 specimens , C2; INV CNI2899 , 3 specimens , C2; INV CNI2923 , + 15 specimens , C3.

Figures

FIGURE 4. A, Lophelia pertusa, INV CNI396, off La Guajira (Honda Bay), colony fragments, x 1; B–C, Oxysmilia rotundifolia, INV CNI687, off San Bernardo Islands, calicular and lateral views, both x 1.1; D–E, Colangia immersa, INV CNI683, off La Guajira (Punta Gallinas), calicular and lateral views, both x 3; F–G, Phyllangia americana americana, INV CNI274, off La Guajira (Caricari Point), colony from calicular and oblique views, both x 2; H–I, Rhizosmilia maculata, INV CNI178, off Santa Marta, calicular and lateral views, both x 3.6; J–K, Phacelocyathus flos, INV CNI2940, off San Bernardo Islands, calicular and lateral views, both x 3.6; L–M, Anomocora fecunda INV CNI2897 off San Bernardo Islands, calicular and lateral views, x 3.2, x 1, respectively; N–O, Anomocora prolifera, INV CNI2725, off San Bernardo Islands, calicular view showing rejuvenescence stage and lateral view, both x 4.4; P–Q, Anomocora marchadi, INV CNI2303, off La Guajira, calicular and lateral views, both x 3.6; R, Coenosmilia arbuscula, INV CNI855, off San Bernardo Islands, branching pattern, x 1.5; S–T, Heterocyathus antoniae, paratype, INV CNI2076, off Manaure, calicular and lateral views, both x 4.5; U–W, Heterocyathus antoniae, INV CNI740, holotype, off Santa Marta (Neguanje Bay): U, basal view showing sipunculid holes, V, calicular view, and W, lateral view, all x 4.5. Scale bars for A–C, M, R = 1 cm; D–L, N–Q, S–W = 5 mm.