Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) diomedeae von Marenzeller, 1904

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

Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) diomedeae von Marenzeller, 1904

Fig. 1M, N

Caryophyllia diomedeae von Marenzeller, 1904b: 79-80, pl. 1, fig. 2. -Durham and Barnard 1952: 10, 82, pl. 9, fig. 43. - Cairns 1991: 11-13, pl. 4, figs C-E. - Cairns 1995: 49-50, pl. 9, figs A-D. - Cortès 1997: 330. - Cairns and Zibrowius 1997: 88. -Koslow and Gowlett-Holmes 1998: 38. - Cairns 1999a: 74. - Cairns et al. 1999: 20. - Piñón 1999: 20, 81. -Cairns 2004: 264, 277, 328. - Cairns et al. 2005: 17, 25, 28, fig. 2D-E. - González-Romero et al. 2008: 1-2, fig. 1. -Kitahara et al. 2010: 100, 102, figs 37-46.

Caryophyllia profunda . - Cairns 1982: 17-19 (in part: ‘Eltanin’ -1403).

Caryophyllia sarsiae . -Cairns and Parker 1992: 20, figs 5C, E, F.

Type locality.

Off Panama (USS ‘Albatross’ stn. 3358: 6°30'N, 81°44'W); 1043 m (von Marenzeller 1904b).

Type material.

One syntype is deposited at NHMUK (Kitahara et al. 2010).

Imagery data.

MN_SM 85 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, 20 km off Cape Vidal/23 km off St Lucia Estuary, 27°59'30.00"S, 32°40'47.99"E; 550 m. MN_SM 129 (7 specimens): Eastern margin, 17 km off Margate/ km off Boboyi Estuary, 30°53'24.00"S, 30°31'41.99"E; 850 m. MN_SM 226 (1 specimen): Southern margin, 32 km off Mazeppa Bay/24 km off Kobole Estuary, 32°28'36.00"S, 28°58'48.00"E; 710-775 m.

Description.

Corallum straight to slightly curved, and attached to substrate by a broad pedicel (PD:GCD ~ 0.5) that expands into an encrusting base. Largest imaged specimen (MN_SM 85) 13.0 × 12.0 mm in CD, 5.0 mm in PD, and 29.0 mm in H. Calice elliptical (GCD:LCD = 1.08-1.14), calicular margin jagged. Costae prominent at calicular margin, with shallow intercostal striae, sometimes bearing granules. Theca thick and porcelaneous. Corallum white to beige.

Septa hexamerally arranged in four cycles according to the formula: S1 ≥ S2 > S3 > S4 (48 septa). S1-2 most exsert, equal in width, and almost reach columella with vertical to slightly sinuous axial margins. S3-4 progressively narrower and less exsert. S3 ¾ the width of S1-2, each bearing a sinuous pali (12 P3), and consistently 1 mm in width. S4 slightly smaller than S3. Higher cycle septa with sinuous axial margin, especially S3. Septal faces somewhat smooth near calicular margin, but becoming granulated towards fossa. Fossa of moderate depth containing a fascicular columella, encircled by a P3 crown.

Distribution.

Regional: Southern and Eastern margins of South Africa, off Mazeppa Bay extending towards Cape Vidal; 550-850 m. Elsewhere: Australia (Cairns and Parker 1992, 1998, 2004a; Kitahara et al. 2010); New Zealand ( Cairns 1982, 1995); New Caledonia (Kitahara et al. 2010; Kitahara and Cairns 2021); Cocos and Galapagos Islands ( Cairns 1991); Philippines; Indonesia ( Cairns and Zibrowius 1997); Vanuatu ( Cairns 1999a); Mediterranean to the Azores ( Cairns et al 1999); Bermuda; Cook Island ( Cairns 1995); Chile ( Cairns et al. 2005); northern Pacific ( González-Romero et al. 2008); 225-2200 m.

Remarks.

Among congeners that are attached and display hexamerally arranged septa in four complete cycles, Caryophyllia (C.) diomedeae closely resembles C. sarsiae Zibrowius, 1974a ( Cairns 1991). It is therefore no surprise that Cairns and Parker (1992) mistook their records of C. diomedeae for C. sarsiae , in which they mention the latter to occur in South Africa but did not provide the associated locality data for their South African records. Nonetheless, the imaged specimens (listed under imagery data) seem to have been mixed with C. sarsiae and have therefore been separated based on: (i) having a smooth theca and costae restricted to calicular margin ( Cairns 1995), as compared with C. sarsiae which has costae prominent throughout corallum, and (ii) pali consistently being 1 mm in width as compared with C. sarsiae which bears pali being three times less the width of the pali bearing septa (key in Kitahara et al. 2010).

Figures

Figure 1. A, B Anomocora fecunda (SAMC _ A 073042, off Shaka's Rock, 200 m) A calicular view B lateral view C, F Anomocora marchadi C, D (SAMC _ A 090093, off Durban, 49 m) C calicular view D lateral view E, F (SAM _ H 3100, off Shaka's Rock, 66 m) E calicular view F lateral view G, H Aulocyathus juvenescens (Mortensen 25, off Durban, 424 m) G calicular view H lateral view I, J Aulocyathus sp. cf. Aulocyathus matricidus (DIa 1, locality data unknown) I calicular view J lateral view K, L Caryophyllia (Acanthocyathus) grayi (USNM 91541, off Kosi Bay, 98 m) K calicular view L lateral view M, N Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) diomedeae (MN _ SM 129, off Margate, 850 m) M calicular view N lateral view N, O Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) ephyala (SAMC _ A 072974, off Paternoster, 440 m) O Calicular view P Lateral view. Scale bars: 10 mm.