Litophyton viridis (May, 1898)

van Ofwegen, Leen P., 2016, The genus Litophyton Forskal, 1775 (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea, Nephtheidae) in the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean, ZooKeys 567, pp. 1-128 : 24-26

Taxon classification Animalia Alcyonacea Nephtheidae

Litophyton viridis (May, 1898) Figures 1F, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97

Ammothea viridis May, 1898: 33 (Muemba Island; East Africa); 1899: 139, pl. 2 fig. 23, pl. 5 figs 11 a–b.

Litophytum viridis ; Kükenthal 1903: 115 (May's, type + Baui Island; East Africa).

Litophyton viridis ; Ofwegen and Benayahu 1992: 140 (Tanzania).

Litophyton viridis Not Litophytum viride ; Roule 1908: 172 (Ambon); Bayer et al. 1983: pl. 17 fig. 121 (= Litophyton arboreum Forskål, 1775).

Litophyton viridis Not Litophytum viridis ; Thomson and Dean 1931: 70 (Indonesia).

Litophyton viridis Not Litophyton viridis ; Tursch 1976: 2 (Indonesia, Moluccas, Leti island); Bortolotto et al. 1977: 159 (Indonesia, Sunda islands).

Ammothea stuhlmanni May, 1898: 34 (East-Africa); 1899: 140, pl. 3 fig. 25.

Litophytum stuhlmanni ; Kükenthal 1903: 116 (re-examination of May's, types).

Litophyton viridis Not Litophytum stuhlmanni ; Thomson and Dean 1931: 70, pl. 23 fig. 9 (Indonesia).

Litophyton viridis Not Litophyton stuhlmanni ; Tixier-Durivault 1970a: 223 (Vietnam).

Ammothea sanderi May, 1899: 141, pl. 3 fig. 26, pl. 5 fig. 12 (Zanzibar).

Litophytum sanderi ; Kükenthal 1903: 119 (re-examination of May's, type).

Litophyton sanderi ; Verseveldt and Benayahu 1983: 4 (Eilat, Gulf of Aqaba, 40-45 m, leg. Ch. Lewinsohn; listed only).

Litophytum crosslandi Thomson & McQueen, 1908: 56 (Red Sea, Coral reef of Khor Delaweb, 3-4 feet).

Litophytum acutifolium Kükenthal, 1913: 12, fig. 1, pl. 1 fig. 1 (Egyptian Red Sea coast, Berenice); McFadden et al. 2011: 25.

Litophyton viridis Not Litophyton acutifolium ; Verseveldt 1974b: 25, figs 19-18 (Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea = Litophyton acuticonicum ); 1977b: 303 (Gunung Api, Banda Is., Indonesia; 1978: 50 (Palau).

Material examined.

ZMH C2396, syntype Litophytum viridis , Stuhlmann Id. 1889; May 1898; Kükenthal, 1902; Sansibar, Insel Baui; ZMH C2397, syntype Litophytum viridis , Stuhlmann Id. 1889; May 1898; Kükenthal, 1902; Sansibar, Insel Muemba; ZMB 6709, 6710, syntypes Litophytum viridis (May), Sansibar, Stuhlmann leg., Kükth det. 1902, Breslau, not registered as type material (see remarks); ZMH C2391, syntype Ammothea stuhlmanni ; ZMH C2390, holotype Ammothea sanderi ; BM 1933.3.13.193, holotype Litophytum crosslandi ; NHMW C2347, part of the holotype of Litophytum acutifolium ; ZMB 6682, part of the holotype of Litophytum acutifolium ; ZMB 6683, part of the holotype of Litophytum acutifolium ; RMNH 18916, identified as Litophyton viridis by Ofwegen and Benayahu, 1992, Tanzania, off Dar es Salaam, Funguyasini Island, leeward slope, coll. J.N. Nyanda; ZMTAU NS 1711, Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba, Dahab, coll. L. Fishelson, 13 September 1967; ZMTAU Co 25968, Red Sea, South tip Sinai Ras um Sud Temple, 26 March 1988, coll. Y. Benayahu; ZMTAU Co 26107 3131, Red Sea, Gulf of Suez, Tawilla Is., depth 6-10 m, 24 September 1989, coll. Y. Benayahu; ZMTAU Co 26193, Red Sea, Tiran Isl., depth 4 m, coll. Y. Benayahu, 15 March 1981; ZMTAU Co 26196, Red Sea, Tiran Island, depth 4 m, coll. Y. Benayahu, 15 March 1981; ZMTAU Co 26197, Red Sea, Gulf of Eilat “Fjord”, depth 2-3 m, coll. Y. Benayahu, 16 April 1979; ZMTAU Co 26199, Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba, Dahab southern oasis, depth 4 m, 4 November 1981, coll. Y. Benayahu; ZMTAU Co 26204, Red Sea, Strait of Tiran, South of Ras Nazrani, 7 November 1981, coll. Y. Benayahu; ZMTAU Co 26222, Red Sea, Marsa Murach, south of Eilat, 23 July 1968, coll. L. Fishelson; ZMTAU Co 26241, Red Sea, Tiran Is. Favel bay lagoon, depth 1-2 m, 22 September 1981, coll. Kerman; ZMTAU Co 26242, Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba, south Muqeibla, coll. Y. Benayahu, 30 March 1976; ZMTAU Co 34114 Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba, Elat, 29°30.14'N, 34°55.075'E, depth 10.7-12.2 m, 24 July 2007, coll. Y. Benayahu;?ZMTAU Co 26243, Red Sea, Gulf of Suez Ras Gahra, 27 September 1974, coll. Y. Benayahu; ZMTAU Co 28591 (E220), Eritrea, Dahlak Archipelago, Madut, depth 3 m, 16 October 1993, coll. Y. Benayahu;?ZMTAU 32941, Eritrea, Dahlak Archipelago, between Nocra Is. and Dahlak Is., southern entrance to the channel, 15°41.36'N, 39°56.08'E, depth 0-5 m, 14 February 2005, coll. Y. Benayahu;?ZMTAU Co 33091, Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba, Elat, marine lab, IUI reef, May 2005, coll. Y. Benayahu.

Removed from the species.

RMNH 11835, identified by Verseveldt as Litophyton acutifolium , Banda Isl., depth 10 m; RMNH 12836, identified by Verseveldt as Litophyton acutifolium , Palau Isl, depth 15 ft; RMNH 12839, identified by Verseveldt as Litophyton acutifolium , Palau Isl.; RMNH Coel. 11940, identified by Verseveldt as Litophyton stuhlmanni , Indonesia, Moluccas, S of Obi, Poelau Gomumu, 1°50'S, 127°30'45"E, depth 3 m, 30 May 1975, coll. A.G. Humes, 1990 R/V "Alpha Helix".

Diagnosis.

Colonies flabby, end lobes finger-like. Polyps with irregularly arranged, smooth rodlets adaxially and spiny rodlets abaxially; these rodlets are up to 0.1 mm long. Sometimes a few spindles are also present in the polyp stalk; sometimes the polyps are unarmed. Surface base of stalk with radiates, derivatives of these, and unilateral spinose spindles, the latter up to 0.5 mm long; many with side branches. Interior base of stalk with spindles up to 1 mm long; they can have side branches.

Re-description of syntype ZMH C2396.

Colony flabby, 10.5 cm long and 7 cm wide (Figure 83A). Catkins finger-like.

Polyps and branches. Without sclerites (Figure 87A).

Surface layer top of stalk. Capstans, spindles and unilateral spinose spindles; all with closely set tubercles; length up to 0.15 mm (Figure 87B).

Surface layer base of stalk. Capstans, spindles and branched spindles; the spindles up to 0.85 mm long (Figure 87C).

Interior base of stalk. Spindles with widely placed simple tubercles (Figure 87D); the spindles can be branched or have side branches.

Colour of colony. Cream.

Distribution.

Red Sea, East Africa.

Remarks.

Syntype ZMH C2397 (Figures 83B, 88) shows more cone-shaped catkins, in all other characters it agrees with ZMH C2396.

May (1898) mentioned three specimens. Only two are present in the ZMH, ZMB 6709 and ZMB 6710 probably represent the missing ZMH specimen. Kükenthal (1903) re-examined one of May's, specimens and a specimen collected by Voeltzkow from the Island Baui. As the labels of the ZMB material mention Stuhlmann leg., the same as May's, material I assume I am here dealing with May's, material. ZMB 6709 and ZMB 6710 are not registered as type material and therefore they were not photographed, although a fragment of the top of ZMB 6710 was re-examined.

The difference between Litophyton viridis , Litophyton acutifolium , Litophyton crosslandi , Litophyton sanderi , and Litophyton stuhlmanni is only based on the polyps, those of Litophyton viridis having no sclerites at all, while the other four species have few sclerites in the polyps. I regard the polyps without sclerites of Litophyton viridis an extreme case of a species with a few sclerites in the polyps and synonymize Litophyton acutifolium , Litophyton crosslandi , Litophyton sanderi , and Litophyton stuhlmanni with Litophyton viridis .

May (1898) mentioned two specimens of Litophyton stuhlmanni , the specimen examined, ZMH C2391 (Figures 84, 89) is different from the one depicted by May (1899: pl. 3 fig. 25). May (1899) and Kükenthal (1903), who re-examined May's, material, described the polyps as being devoid of sclerites. I assume that both missed the polyp sclerites hidden in detritus inside the polyps.

Apart from being much smaller (Figure 83C), Litophyton sanderi has much in common with Litophyton stuhlmanni . Kükenthal (1903) already recognized this close resemblance but kept the species separate because he could not find any sclerites in the polyps of Litophyton stuhlmanni . For comparison the sclerites of the holotype of Litophyton sanderi are depicted (Figures 90-91). The small sclerite differences with Litophyton stuhlmanni I consider to be intraspecific variation.

The colony fragment of Litophyton crosslandi present in the Natural History Museum (BM 1933.3.13.193) is only part of the colony originally described. The total length of the fragment is 5.3 cm (Figure 83D; notes of Verseveldt) while Thomson and McQueen mentioned branches up to 13 cm long. The two microscope slides examined only show sclerites found in the top of their colony (Figure 92). Some polyps of the holotype of Litophytum crosslandi also show the "ring of slerites in the tentacle basis" mentioned by Kükenthal (1913) for his Litophyton acutifolium .

The holotype of Litophyton acutifolium ( Kükenthal, 1913: pl. 1 fig. 1) was cut into pieces, and these are now stored as ZMB 6682, ZMB 6683 (Figure 85B), and NHMW C2347 (Figure 85A). For comparison the sclerites of ZMB 6683 and some of those of NHMW C2347 are depicted (Figures 93-95). The small sclerite differences noted are considered to be intraspecific variation.

ZMTAU Co 32941 and 33091 are only fragments of the top of colonies, the flabby nature of the fragments together with the sclerites matching those of Litophyton viridis made me identify them as this species.

ZMTAU Co 34114 (previously identified as Litophyton acutifolium by me) has been used by McFadden et al. (2011) for their molecular study.

ZMTAU 26193 (Figure 86) is used for presenting SEM images of sclerites (Figures 96-97).

Litophyton maldivensis and Litophyton acuticonicum both also have polyps with limited amount of sclerites. Litophyton acuticonicum differs from Litophyton viridis in having much larger interior stalk sclerites (up to 2 mm long). Litophyton maldivensis has overall much smaller interior stalk sclerites which mostly have blunt ends. Litophyton striatum has similar looking sclerites in the interior of the base of the stalk as ZMTAU 26193 but in that species the polyps are much stronger armed.