Menella

Namin, Samimi & Ofwegen, Van, 2009, Some shallow water octocorals (Coelenterata: Anthozoa) of the Persian Gulf, Zootaxa 2058, pp. 1-52 : 32

Menella sp. a

( Figs. 13 c, 22–23)

Material: RMNH Coel. 38781, one specimen, E of Kish Island, coll. K. Samimi Namin.

Description. The colony is 7 cm high, consisting of one branch with a small side branch ( Fig. 13 c); half the colony is devoid of coenenchyme. Calyces are dome-shaped, closely set to each other, and situated all around the branches.

The polyps have a collaret and points made up of spindles which are up to 0.20 mm long; the point spindles having one end dentate ( Fig. 22 a–b).

Surface layer of coenenchyme with rooted leaves, up to 0.35 mm long, with mostly one big, flat, thin leaf; sometimes one or two extra smaller leaves are present ( Fig. 23 ). Additionally a few leaf spindles are present, up to 0.55 mm long ( Fig. 22 c).

Inner layer of coenenchyme with spindles, up to 0.35 mm long, with rather simple tubercles; several with side branches ( Fig. 22 d). Furthermore, sparsely ornamented capstans and derivatives of capstans are present, up to 0.15 mm in length ( Fig. 22 e).

Colour. Alive, the colony was red, and preserved it retains this colour. Polyp sclerites are colourless, all others orange.

Figures

FIGURE 22. RMNH Coel. 38781, Menella sp. a: a, point spindles; b, collaret spindles; c, leaf spindles of surface layer; d – e, capstans and spindles of the subsurface layer. Scale at c applies to c-d.

FIGURE 23. RMNH Coel. 38781, Menella sp. a, rooted leaves of surface layer.

FIGURE 13. a, RMNH Coel. 38772, Echinomuricea sp. a; b, RMNH Coel. 38776, Echinomuricea sp. b; c, RMNH Coel. 38781, Menella sp. a; d, RMNH Coel. 38782, Menella sp. b; e, RMNH Coel. 38783, Menella sp. c; f, RMNH Coel. 38784, Menella cf. kanisa Grasshoff, 2000; g, RMNH Coel. 38907, Paraplexaura sp. Scales at a and f 2 cm, all others 1 cm.