Leptogorgia thomassini ( Tixier-Durivault, 1972 ) Ramvilas & Alderslade & Ranjeet, 2023

Ramvilas, Ghosh, Alderslade, Philip & Ranjeet, Kutty, 2023, The taxonomy of Indian gorgonians: an assessment of the descriptive records of gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) recorded as occurring in the territorial waters of India, along with neighbouring regions and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the highlighting of perceived unethical practice, Zootaxa 5236 (1), pp. 1-124 : 76

Leptogorgia thomassini ( Tixier-Durivault, 1972) new comb.

Lophogorgia thomassini Tixier-Durivault, 1972: 47 , fig. 19 ( Madagascar).

Psudopterogorgia thomassini (new comb.) Williams & Vennam 2001: 88.

Opinion: There is no evidence that this species occurs in the region.

Justification:

These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable: Fernando 2011: 104–105, pl. 63, fig. 2–2c (Uvari); Fernando et al. 2017: 209, pl. 96, fig. 1–1c (Uvari).

Literature analysis: Tixier-Durivault’s description of this taxon as Lophogorgia thomassini is very inadequate. As is often the case with that author’s works the sclerite drawings are extremely poor and do not match the text, and consequently the species is unrecognisable. William & Vennam (2001) interpreted some of the sclerite drawings as indistinct scaphoids, presumably H and I in figure 19, and transferred the species to the genus Pseudopterogorgia . Although these sclerites are not actually curved they are asymmetrical and have larger warts on one side, but it is the side with the greatest, and not the lessor, convexity. It is more likely the original diagnosis was correct, but the name should be Leptogorgia thomassini as Lophogorgia is a synonym of Leptogorgia : there are a number of species of this genus off the east coast of Africa.

The accounts of the Indian material by Fernando (2011) and Fernando et al. (2017) are identical and the specimen described as Psudopterogorgia thomassini actually appears to be a species of Leptogorgia as the colony form is not pinnate and there does not appear to be any scaphoids among the figured sclerites. But, unlike the holotype of the species, their colony does not have branches with a medial groove, the polyps are all around and not biserial, and the spindles have 2–9 whorls of warts and not 2–4. Their specimen appears to be extremely similar to, and perhaps the same as, their Pseudopterogorgia vedalaiensi specimen described in the same two papers.