Litophyton folium, Van, 2020

Van Ofwegen, Leen P., 2020, The genus Litophyton Forskål, 1775 (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea: Nephtheidae) from Australia, Zootaxa 4764 (1), pp. 1-131 : 100-103

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4764.1.1
publication LSID	urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:53C5289A-156C-4AF1-B84A-73099A332C05
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3803576
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03BCB717-2342-FFB6-FF35-86A5FB6EF81A
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Litophyton folium
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Litophyton folium View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs. 80 View FIGURE 80 d-e, 85a-b; 86-88)

Material examined. Holotype NTM C4128 , Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Davies reef, depth 10-15 m, 16 April 1981, coll. Z. Dinesen ; paratypes: NTM C4123, same data as holotype; NTM C4147, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Davies reef, depth 15-20 m, 16 April 1981, coll. Z. Dinesen; NTM C4386, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Davies reef, depth 15-20 m, 15 April 1981, coll. Z. Dinesen; NTM C10456 GBR 1; Great Barrier Reef, Cockburn reef, 12 December 1990, coll. P. Alderslade.

Description. The holotype is 8 cm high and 8.5 cm wide, the stalk is 1.5 cm long ( Fig. 80d View FIGURE 80 ). The polyps are up to 0.7 mm wide and high, grouped in conical catkins.

Polyps. With irregular arrangement of sclerites in eight points ( Fig. 85a View FIGURE 85 ). Abaxially and lateral point sclerites are spindles; abaxially up to 0.40 mm long, with spines and a few distal leaves ( Fig. 86a View FIGURE 86 ); laterally they are up to 0.20 mm long, with spines. Adaxially there are small, bent rods ( Fig. 86b View FIGURE 86 ), up to 0.10 mm long. The tentacles have rods and scales ( Fig. 86 View FIGURE 86 c-d). The polyp stalk has a few straight rods, up to 0.10 mm long (not depicted). Supporting bundle not projecting or slightly so, composed of spindles, up to 0.70 mm long, with simple tubercles and distally some spines ( Fig. 86e View FIGURE 86 ).

Surface layer top stalk. Derivatives of capstans, 0.05-0.15 mm long; spindles and unilaterally spinose spindles are also present, up to 0.50 mm long, with simple and complex tubercles ( Fig. 86 View FIGURE 86 f-g). The unilaterally spinose sclerites have long spines.

Surface layer base stalk. Capstans, derivatives of capstans, spindles, and unilaterally spinose spindles, mostly with simple tubercles ( Fig. 86 View FIGURE 86 h-i). The spines of the spinose sclerites are very long. Capstans 0.05-0.20 mm long; spindles up to about 0.40 mm long.

Interior stalk. Spindles, up to 1 mm long, with pointed ends ( Fig. 87b View FIGURE 87 ) and simple and complex tubercles ( Fig.87c View FIGURE 87 ); especially the smaller spindles with one or more side branches ( Fig. 87a View FIGURE 87 ).

Etymology. The Latin folium , leaf, refers to the leafy point spindles.

Distribution. Great Barrier Reef: Davies reef, Cockburn reef.

Remarks. NTM C4147, NTM C4386, and NTM C10456 ( Fig. 80e View FIGURE 80 ) have slightly less developed polyp sclerites, seldom with distal leafy appearance ( Fig. 88 View FIGURE 88 ). The surface stalk sclerites of the base of NTM C10456 are less spiny ( Fig. 88h View FIGURE 88 ) and the internal stalk sclerites are shorter and less branched ( Fig. 88j View FIGURE 88 ). Sclerite sampling of NTM C10456 was done somewhat above the base of the stalk, causing these differences.

L. debilis ( Kükenthal, 1895) ( Ternate) ( Figs. 69e View FIGURE 69 , 77 View FIGURE 77 ) resembles this species but has the larger interior stalk spindles also with side branches.

The species also resembles L. darleyensis sp. nov. but has more developed point sclerites, more unilaterally spinose sclerites and shorter interior stalk spindles.

In group V also L. sanctuaryensis sp. nov and L. verrucosum sp. nov. have unilaterally spinose sclerites with long spines. L. sanctuaryensis differs in having much more robust interior stalk sclerites and the smaller ones are less branched. L. verrucosum also has more robust interior stalk sclerites, which are not branched.