Sinularia shlagmani n. sp.

(Figs 5-7; 16E)

Sinularia conferta – Tixier-Durivault 1945: 61; 1951: 45 (Mascate).

Sinularia polydactyla – Tixier-Durivault 1972: 60 (Reunion; see begin of Systematics).

Not Sinularia conferta (Dana, 1846): 621.

Not Sinularia “ conferta ” – Van Ofwegen & Benayahu 1992: 154 (Tanzania; see remarks below).

Not Sinularia polydactyla (Ehrenberg, 1834): 58.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: ZMTAU Co 34418 (split into 2 parts) and 4 microscope slides, Saint-Leu, Récif des Colimaçons (21°09’21.63”S, 55°16’57.64”E), reef flat, 1 m, 8.IV.2008.

Paratypes: ZMTAU Co 34417, Co 34447 (2 colonies), same data as holotype. — ZMTAU Co 35435, Saint-Pierre, Terre Sainte (21°20’52.25”S, 55°28’49.62”E), reef flat, 1 m, 9.IV.2008. — ZMTAU Co 34470, Saint-Leu, Pointe des Châteaux (21°09’04.39”S, 55°16’12.47”E), reef slope, 14-20 m, 10.IV.2008. — MNHN, Saint-Pierre, leg. G. Faure.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Reunion, Saint-Paul, Récif des Colimaçons.

DISTRIBUTION. — Reunion: Saint-Paul, Récif des Colimaçons, Saint-Pierre, Terre Sainte, Saint-Leu and Pointe des Châteaux.

ETYMOLOGY. — The species is named after Alex Shlagman, collection manager, Zoological Museum, Tel Aviv University, in appreciation of his dedication and professional curatorial work, particularly in the octocoral collection.

DESCRIPTION

Holotype: an encrusting colony, split into two parts, with a maximum cross-section 12 × 9 cm and height up to 4 cm (Fig. 5). Polyparium consisting of rather short, laterally flattened and closely-set crest-like lobes. All polyps retracted. Colony with a hard texture.

Surface layer of the lobes containing sclerites with tubercles, up to 0.06 mm long (Fig. 6A) and clubs with a central wart and tubercles on handle, up to 0.09 mm long (Fig. 6B). Additionally, with longer clubs, intermediate forms to spindles, up to 0.25 mm long (Fig. 6C).

Interior of the lobes with spindles, some branched, up to 3 mm long (Fig. 6D), with simple tubercles (Fig. 6E), or complex ones, either densely (Fig. 6F) or sparsely (Fig. 6G) placed.

Surface layer of base of colony containing clubs, mostly with central wart, similar to those of lobes, but wider, some with tubercles on handle, 0.07- 0.10 mm long (Fig. 7A), also with spindles, up to 0.21 mm long (Fig. 7B).

Interior of the base with spindles, the small ones branched, up to 2.2 mm long (Fig. 7C), with large tubercles (Fig. 7D), or smaller ones (Fig. 7E).

Colour

Preserved holotype grey-beige.

Living features

The colony is beige in colour (Fig. 16F).

VARIABILITY

Paratypes differ in size: ZMTAU Co 34417 maximum cross-section of 7 × 7.5 cm and height of up to 5 cm; ZMTAU Co 34447: 2 colonies, 12 × 9.5 × 6.5 cm and 9 × 9 × 7 cm; and ZMTAU Co 34470 7 × 6 × 5 cm respectively.

REMARKS

Sinularia shlagmani n. sp. belongs to Sinularia clade 4C and 4D of McFadden et al. (2009): polyps without sclerites, clubs with central wart distinct. This clade includes, among others, species with encrusting colonies and most clubs in the surface layer of the polyparium <0.10 mm, similar to the holotype and the paratypes of S. shlagmani n. sp. Among the previously described species with these features are S. crebra Van Ofwegen, 2008, S. gibberosa Tixier-Durivault, 1970, S. nanolobata Verseveldt, 1977 and S. ovispiculata Tixier-Durivault, 1970 (for the second and the latter species see Verseveldt 1980). These species have knob-shaped lobules, and thus differ from S. shlagmani n. sp. The following encrusting species feature finger-like lobes: S. acetabulata Verseveldt & Tursch, 1979, S. deformis Tixier-Durivault, 1969, S. pavida, Tixier-Durivault, 1970, S. scabra,Tixier-Durivault, 1970 (for the last three species see Verseveldt 1980) and they also differ from S. shlagmani n. sp. Similarly, S. siaesensis Van Ofwegen, 2008 and S. microclavata Tixier-Durivault, 1969 (for the latter see Verseveldt 1980) feature compound lobes that also differ from the newly-described species. Sinularia compressa Tixier-Durivault, 1945 and S. inflata Tixier-Durivault, 1970 have small lobules, either finger-like or knob-shaped (see Verseveldt 1980). Sinularia conferta has long branched lobes (see Verseveldt 1980: pl. 6), but unfortunately the type has not been found, leading to various misleading conclusions in this species’ diagnosis (see Verseveldt 1980: 31-35). Until Dana’s type will be appropriately described, its taxonomic position, including its clade allocation, remains in doubt. Nonetheless, the clear difference between the lobes of S. conferta and S. shlagmani n. sp. (long branched lobes vs densely placed crests) leads to the conclusion that the two are separate species. It is thus evident that S. shlagmani n. sp. differs from all previously described Sinularia species of clade 4C and 4D in the shape of the lobes.

We have re-examined the two specimens from Tanzania identified as S. “ conferta ” by Van Ofwegen & Benayahu (1992). They show polyp sclerites and belong to clade 5B of McFadden et al. (2009): polyps with collaret and point sclerites, tentacles with rods, clubs with central wart distinct. In this clade we could not find a species with the characteristics of the Tanzanian specimens and we now regard these specimens as belonging to a yet undescribed species.