Blastomussa sp. Blastomussa (Ceriomorpha) loyae Head, 1978 Blastomussa loyae Blastomussa merleti sensu Sheppard & Sheppard, 1991 sheppardi Veron 2002 sheppardi Veron, 2000 Phylogenetic relationships and revision of the genus Blastomussa (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Scleractinia) with description of a new species Benzoni, Francesca Arrigoni, Roberto Waheed, Zarinah Stefani, Fabrizio Hoeksema, Bert W. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 2014 2014-06-24 62 358 378 9CB3H Head, 1978 , Head 1978 [286,625,638,662] Anthozoa Plerogyridae Blastomussa CoL Animalia Scleractinia 5 363 Cnidaria species loyae  ( Figs. 1G–I, 6C–F, 7B, 8B, 9B)    Blastomussasp. Loya & Slobodkin, 1971  Blastomussa (Ceriomorpha) loyae Head, 1978: fig. 1 c–d  Blastomussa loyae— Scheer & Pillai, 1983: Pl. 35 figs. 9–11;  Kleemann & Baal, 2011: figs. 1–4  Blastomussa merletisensu Sheppard & Sheppard, 1991, fig. 113c Parasimplastrea  sheppardi Veron 2002partim: Figs. 308 and 310 Not Parasimplastrea  sheppardi Veron, 2000: Volume 3 p.239;   Veron 2002: figs. 309, 311   Type material.  Holotype( BMNH1977.5.5.1), Sudan, coll. S. Head,   5 m.  Paratypes( BMNH 1977.5.5.2, 1977.5.5.3),  Sudan, coll. S. Head; ( ZMACoel. 8322), Port  Sudan, Sudan, coll. S. Head( Figs. 6E, F).   Other material. Egypt( MTQG 55860), Sharm el Sheikh,  15 m( neotypeof  Parasimplastrea  sheppardi Veron, 2000designated herein ( Figs. 6C, D); ( MTQG 70484),  Sinai, coll. J.E.N. Veron; ( MTQG 70484), Sinai, coll. J.E.N. Veron;   Saudi Arabia( BMNHunregistered), Jeddah, coll. C. Sheppard,  October 1984; ( KAUST SA005),  Al Lith, Whale Shark Reef, ( 20°07.690'N; 40°12.513'E), coll. F. Benzoni,  2 March 2012, 20 m; ( KAUST SA009), Al Lith, Shi’b Ammar, ( 19°34.242'N; 40°00.527'E) coll. F. Benzoni,  3 March 2013; ( KAUST SA197),  Farasan Banks, Marka Island, ( 18°12.534'N; 41°20.073'E) coll. F. Benzoni,  7 March 2013; ( KAUST SA237),  Farasan Banks, Shi’b Radib, ( 18°04.385'N; 40°53.154'E), coll. F. Benzoni,  8 March 2013;   DjiboutiTOE, coll. F. Benzoni( UNIMIB DJ018), North Gulfof Tadjoura, Ras Ali, ( 11°46.354'N; 42°57.286'E),  28 January 2010, 10 m; ( UNIMIB DJ050), North Gulfof Tadjoura, Oblal, ( 11°51.680'N; 43°6.480'E),  28 January 2010, 8 m; ( UNIMIB DJ150), Maskali Island, ( 11°42.349'N; 43°9.177'E),  31 January 2010, 12 m; ( UNIMIB DJ197), Ankali, ( 11°43.590'N; 43 19.590'E),  2 February 2010, 18 m; ( UNIMIB DJ242), North Gulfof Tadjoura, Obock, ( 11°57.517'N; 43°18.787'E),  3 February 2010.   Description.  Blastomussa loyaeforms encrusting coralla. Budding extra-tentacular, corallites attain a cerioid or subcerioid arrangement ( Figs. 1G–I, 6C–F, 7B) by lack of separation of calices following the budding process, and, by secondary fusion, respectively, as described in detail by Head (1978). Corallites are round to oval and 5–8 mmin largest diameter ( Figs. 1G–I, 6C–F). Three cycles of septa are present, the first two reach the columella and are equal or sub-equal as the first can be slightly thicker, the third is reduced or incomplete ( Figs. 1G, I, 6D, F). Septa are composed of one fan system thus margins are smooth ( Figs. 1H–I, 6D) ( Kleemann & Baal, 2011). Occasionally, in larger calices more than one fan system can develop ( Head, 1978). Septa typically exsert from the colony surface ( Figs. 1H, 6D). Septal margins and sides finely granulated ( Figs. 1H, I). Columella formed by trabecular processes, often fused at the base ( Figs. 6F, 7B), with papillae visible at the centre and variably developed with the same corallum. In several of the examined specimens septa of the first and second cycle appear to be hollow ( Fig. 7B). Polyp tentacles retracted towards the oral disc during the day when the mantle is expanded ( Figs. 8B, 9B). Because the cerioid corallites are close together, the mantle of adjacent polyps touch and become polygonal, giving the coral an overall plocoid appearance, which disappears as mantles retract ( Fig. 8B). Vesicles smooth to slightly rugged ( Fig. 9B). Colour varying from light to dark green, with vesicles often of a different colour, ranging from beige to brown. This species lives in protected environments and strives well in low light and high-turbidity conditions.  Taxonomic remarks. Veron (2002)designated a coral from Egypt(Red Sea) (MTQ G 55860) as “ holotype” for Parasimplastrea sheppardi( Fig. 6C, D). This designation is invalid because a holotypeshould have been introduced with the original description ( ICZN, 2011). Therefore, this specimen is presently designated neotypeof  P. sheppardi, but because it belongs to  Blastomussa loyae Head, 1978,  P. sheppardiis a subjective junior synonym of the species.  Geographic distribution.  Blastomussa loyaehas been recorded in the Red Sea. Based on the material examined in the present study, the know range has been extended to the Gulfof Tadjoura. BMNH S. Head Sudan 5 Sudan 5 363 5 holotype [260,694,1021,1042] BMNH Sudan 5 363 BMNH 1977.5 1 paratype ZMA S. Head Sudan Sudan 5 363 1 paratype S. Head Sudan Sudan 5 363 1 paratype G 55860, G 70484 MTQ Sharm el Sheikh & Parasimplastrea Egypt 15 Egypt 5 363 2 neotype G 70484 MTQ J. E. N. Veron Egypt Sinai 5 363 1 Shamal Sina' 1984-10 BMNH, KAUST C. Sheppard Saudi Arabia Jeddah 5 363 SA005 1 2012-03-02 F. Benzoni Saudi Arabia 20.128166 Whale Shark Reef 1 40.20855 Al Lith 5 363 1 2013-03-03 KAUST F. Benzoni Saudi Arabia 19.5707 Shi'b Ammar 1 40.00878 Al Lith 5 363 SA009, SA197 1 2013-03-07 KAUST F. Benzoni Saudi Arabia 18.2089 Marka Island 1 41.33455 Farasan Banks 5 363 SA237 1 2013-03-08 F. Benzoni Saudi Arabia 18.073084 Shi'b Radib 1 40.8859 Farasan Banks 5 363 1 2010-01-28 UNIMIB F. Benzoni Djibouti 11.772567 Ras Ali 1 42.954765 North Gulf 5 363 DJ018 1 Tadjourah 2010-01-28 UNIMIB Djibouti 11.861333 Oblal 1 43.108 North Gulf 5 363 DJ050 1 Tadjourah 2010-01-31 UNIMIB Djibouti 11.705816 Maskali Island 1 43.15295 5 363 DJ150 1 2010-02-02 UNIMIB Djibouti 11.7265 Ankali 1 43.3265 5 363 DJ197 1 2010-02-03 UNIMIB Djibouti 11.958616 North Gulf 1 43.313118 5 363 DJ242 1 Tadjourah