Astrogorgia rubra (Thomson, 1905) new comb.

Muricella rubra Thomson, 1905: 179, pl. fig. 2&7 (Sri Lanka); Thomson & Simpson 1909: 253– 254; Thomson & Russell 1910: 159, pl. 6, figs 1, 5, pl.13, fig, 17.

Opinion: This species does occur in the region but was originally misidentified.

Justification:

Literature analysis: This species was originally reported from Sri Lanka with little descriptive text, a small figure of the twig fragment, and a drawing of a single spindle. A more detailed description of material from the region was provided by Thomson & Simpson (1909), which, although not illustrated, indicates the species appears to belong to the genus Astrogorgia . This is supported by plate 6, fig 5 of Thomson & Russell (1910). Rao & Devi (2003) and Venkataraman et al. (2004) just list the species under the original name.