Leptogorgia punicea ( Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1857 )

Castro, C. B., Medeiros, M. S. & Loiola, L. L., 2010, Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) from Brazilian reefs, Journal of Natural History 44 (13 - 14), pp. 763-827 : 798-802

Leptogorgia punicea ( Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1857)

( Figures 1 , 16A,A′ , 17)

For the synonymy previous to 1961, see Lophogorgia punicea in Bayer (1961: 204– 207, text-figs 61a–h, 62a–e, pl. 7, fig. 6).

Lophogorgia hebes (part): Bayer 1961: 207–210, text-figs. 62f–i, 63, pl. 7, fig. 4.

Lophogorgia sp. ind. “b”: Bayer 1961: 212, text-fig. 64d–f, pl. 7, fig. 2.

? Lophogorgia miniata: Tixier-Durivault 1970: 158 . [Non- Gorgonia miniata : Milne- Edwards and Haime].

Lophogorgia punicea: Kammers and Saalfeld 1989: 28 ; Hetzel and Castro 1994: 96 (photos only).

Diagnosis

Colonies openly pinnate, almost always planar. Branches usually short, upward curving. Polyps in alternating single or double rows on two sides of secondary and terminal branches, all around major branches, with conspicuous hemispherical coenenchymal mounds. Sclerites from coenenchyme capstans, double cones and spindles poorly or not flattened (0.07–0.15 mm long). Anthocodial rods flat, as long as the longest cortical spindles (0.08–0.16 mm long). Colony colour (live or fixed): bright or purplish red (with colourless, orange, or red anthocodial rods); pink (with orange or red anthocodial rods); white (with colourless or orange rods). Coenenchymal sclerites colour: shades of red, pink, or colourless (emended from Bayer 1961: 204, to indicate colonies mostly planar, with short branches, to include more sclerite forms, and to present more detailed colour data).

Description

Colonies irregularly pinnate, densely branched, almost always planar ( Figure 16A ). Branches usually short, upward curving. Trunk and main stem(s) distinct, with sudden changes in thickness at the point of origin of branches. Trunk diameter near bases 0.8–7 mm, terminal twigs 0.6–0.8 mm. Longitudinal ridge or groove along branches conspicuous or not. Coenenchymal mounds as conspicuous hemispherical warts, rounded on thick branches and slightly flattened on terminal branchlets. Polyps sparse in irregular rows on trunk, in multiple longitudinal rows on main branches, and in single or double rows on opposite sides of terminal twigs ( Figure 16A′ ). Sclerites of outer layer of coenenchyme capstans (at most 0.07–0.09 mm long on different colonies), spindles, and double cones (at most 0.08–0.15 mm long in different colonies) ( Figure 17C,F,I ); series of specimens showed from only capstans to almost only spindles. No conspicuous middle layer. Axial sheath sclerites spindles with slender waist, tubercles more sparsely set than those from the outer layer (at most 0.09–0.15 mm long in different colonies) ( Figure 17D,G,J ). Anthocodial armature with multiple longitudinal rows in each point, collaret not clearly delimited, and neck zone with sparse or closeset small sclerites ( Figure 17A ). Anthocodial rods flat, very variable in size and shape (at most 0.08–0.16 mm long in different colonies) ( Figure 17B,E,H ). Longest (from the points) often spindle-shaped, with dentate or serrate edges; shortest (from the collaret and neck zone) oval, with undulating edges and a more or less clear median waist. All kinds of arrangements can be found. Colony colour (live or fixed): bright or purplish red (with colourless, orange, or red anthocodial rods); pink (with orange or red anthocodial rods); white (with colourless or orange rods). Coenenchymal sclerites colour: shades of red, pink, or colourless. Anthocodial rods colour: shades of red, orange, colourless, or bicoloured. Colony size: 40–300 mm high, 15–270 mm wide, 05– 88 mm deep.

Material

Brazil: Bahia (MNRJ 02575, 03994, 04307, 04333); Espírito Santo (MNRJ 00633, 03967, 04511); Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ 00139, 00140, 00141, 00142, 00143, 00144, 00257, 00262, 00362, 00367, 00369, 00371, 00372, 00373, 00374, 00375, 00377, 00378, 00379, 00423, 00428, 00430, 00630, 01976, 01982, 03399, 03675, 04536, 04552; UFPb 394; USNM 633); São Paulo (USNM 57452;MNRJ 00376); Paraná (MNRJ 00370); Santa Catarina (MNRJ 02691); Rio Grande do Sul (MNRJ 04522).

Comparative material

Lophogorgia punicea ( Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1857) – USA: Florida ( USNM 44228 , 49713 ); Surinam ( USNM 51477 ) .

Lophogorgia hebes ( Verrill, 1869) – USA: North Carolina ( USNM 49589 , 50448 ) ; Florida ( USNM 44226 , 44227 , 50053 , 50260 , 50812 ) ; Texas ( USNM 50531 ) ; [?] Aruba, Antilles ( USNM 50412 ) .

Type depository

“Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle”, Paris.

Type locality

Brazil. [Rio de Janeiro, according to Valenciennes (1855: 12).]

Geographic distribution

East coast of the Americas, from Southern Florida? ( Bayer 1961) to Brazil: from Maranhão State ( Pérez 2005); from Bahia State to Rio Grande do Sul State ( Figure 1 ).

Remarks

The identification of these specimens led to two main considerations: whether or not they belong to a single species; and if they were similar to North Atlantic forms. The high variability of colonies and sclerites would suggest at first that many species were present. However, there are series of intermediate forms between extremes. Furthermore, sets of character states (such as branching and sclerite form) do not cluster specimens together in regular patterns (for instance, profusely ramified colonies and elongated sclerites). The extreme variation can be inter- or intrapopulational. Therefore, it is not possible at the present to maintain these “Brazilian species” as separate. Indeed, it has been stated before ( Verrill 1912: 400) that the examination of series of specimens of Gorgonia pumicea Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1857 [= Leptogorgia rathbunii Verrill, 1912 , according to Bayer (1961: 204)] and Leptogorgia rubropurpurea Verrill, 1912 [= Leptogorgia hebes Verrill, 1912 , according to Bayer (1961: 207)] might show that they are variations of a single species.

The second consideration led to the comparison of specimens from Brazil and the North Atlantic. The latter have groups of specimens with some regular features, with sizeable gaps between them, making it possible to distinguish different species.

Species with symmetrically tuberculated spindles and capstans to which Brazilian and north-western Atlantic specimens have been assigned are: Gorgonia purpurea Pallas, 1766 ( Wright and Studer 1889: 150; Deichmann 1936: 183); Gorgonia miniata Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1857 ( Tixier-Durivault 1970: 158); Gorgonia pumicea Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1857 ( Bayer 1961: 207) ; Leptogorgia hebes Verrill, 1912 ( Bayer 1961: 208) ; and Lophogorgia barbadensis Bayer, 1961 ( Tixier-Durivault 1970: 158).

Gorgonia purpurea is a species of uncertain identity and, according to Verrill (1912: 401), may be identical with Gorgonia virgulata Lamarck, 1815 , a species with asymmetrical tuberculation.

Tixier-Durivault’s specimens (Sítio Forte Bay, Grande Island, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) are probably Leptogorgia punicea . Specimens from a population of the latter species have been collected at Sítio Forte by one of the authors (C. B. Castro, see supplementary material list).

Leptogorgia hebes , from the North Atlantic, seems to have a regular set of colony and sclerite characters, enough to differentiate it from the Brazilian specimens. It occurs in the Gulf of Mexico and along the east coast of the USA. It possesses terminal twigs thicker (up to 2 mm) than those of L. punicea and the outer layer sclerites are always double cones with rounded ends ( Bayer 1961).

Leptogorgia barbadensis has very characteristic long and slender sclerites. It was reported for the Abrolhos Reefs by Tixier-Durivault (1970). The collections studied have only specimens of L. punicea from these reefs.

The brief original description of Gorgonia pumicea (from Brazil’s coast), as well as fragments of syntypes from the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, agrees well with the characteristics of many specimens described here. The main question, then, is the identity of North Atlantic forms. The North Atlantic specimens studied here have lower calyces, more slender branches, and sparser ramification than Brazilian specimens. Larger series of specimens from the North Atlantic are necessary to evaluate fully if these differences are constant and sufficient to separate these forms geographically into different species.

Bayer (1961) emended the spelling of the epithet used by Milne-Edwards and Haime (1857) (“ pumicea ”), to the spelling of the nomen nudum of Valenciennes (1855) (“ punicea ”). He stated that: (1) the sense of the adjective pumiceus (soft stone) would not be applicable to the species; on the other hand, Valenciennes’ epithet (puniceus = red) would; (2) Milne-Edwards and Haime mentioned Valenciennes’ “species” and the latter was incorrectly spelled both in the species header and the synonym list; and (3) a similar mistake was present in other instances in the same publication of Milne- Edwards and Haime. Such an emendation is consistent with the article 32.5 of the “International Code of Zoological Nomenclature” ( International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 2000) and, therefore, the spelling “ punicea ” is herein retained.

Figures

Figure 1. Map of distribution of reef octocorals in different regions off the Brazilian coastline. The Espírito Santo State area (*) includes the Vitória- Trindade seamount chain. “BA Sector” refer to a division of reef areas in Bahia State by Leão (1996).

Figure 16. Leptogorgia punicea (Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1857) (MNRJ 01839): (A) colony, (A′) branches. Leptogorgia violacea (Pallas, 1766) (MNRJ 00368): (B) colony, (B′) branches. Leptogorgia pseudogracilis sp. nov. (MNRJ 05083): (C) colony, (C′) branches. Scale bars: A–C, 2 cm; A′–C′, 5 mm.

Figure 17. Sclerites of Leptogorgia punicea (Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1857) [MNRJ 00157 (A–D), MNRJ 00376 (H–J), MNRJ 00143 (E–G)]: (A, without scale bar) scheme of sclerites arrangement in the anthocodia; (B, E, H) anthocodia; (C, F, I) outer layer of coenenchyme; (D, G, J) axial sheath.