Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) grandis Gardiner & Waugh, 1938

Filander, Zoleka N., Kitahara, Marcelo V., Cairns, Stephen D., Sink, Kerry J. & Lombard, Amanda T., 2021, Azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) from South Africa, ZooKeys 1066, pp. 1-198 : 1

Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) grandis Gardiner & Waugh, 1938

Fig. 2A, B

Caryophyllia clavus . -von Marenzeller 1904a: 281 (in part: pl. 16, figs 9-9I).

Caryophyllia grandis Gardiner & Waugh, 1938: 177, pl. 1, fig. 2. - Zibrowius and Gili 1990: 32. - Cairns 1991: 12. - Cairns and Keller 1993: 234.- Cairns and Zibrowius 1997: 96, fig. 9G-H. - Cairns 1998: 376. - Cairns et al. 1999: 20. -Cairns 2004a: 277. -Kitahara et al. 2010: 102, figs 47-52.

Caryophyllia arcuata . -Boshoff 1980: 36.

Type locality.

Off the west of Fadiffolu, Maldives (HEMS ‘Mabahiss’ stn. 145E: 4°58'42"N, 73°16'24"E); 494 m (Gardiner and Waugh 1938).

Type material.

Four syntypes are deposited at the NHMUK ( Cairns and Keller 1993; Kitahara et al. 2010).

Material examined.

SAMC_A073150 (1 specimen): Southern margin, 26 km off Mazeppa Bay / 33 km off Great Kei Estuary, 32°41'12.12"S, 28°43'54.12"E; 480-490m. SAM_H2813 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, 20 km off Cape Vidal / 23 km off St Lucia Estuary, 27°59'30.00"S, 32°40'47.99"E; 550 m. ORI_DIIIa3 (1 specimen): Eastern margin, other locality information unknown. USNM 62497 (4 specimens): Eastern margin, 4 km from Shaka’s Rock / 5 km off Mhlali Estuary, 29°29'23.46"S, 31°15'48.92"E; 183-220 m.

Description.

Corallum large, trochoid, usually free, and curved with a narrow pedicel (GCD:PD = 0.08-0.13) Calice elliptical (GCD:LCD = 1.41-1.75), calicular margin jagged. Largest specimen examined (ORI_DIIIa3) 35.0 × 20.0 mm in CD, 3.0 mm in PD, and 30.0 mm in H. C1-3 slightly ridged or absent. Upper theca and septal faces light beige, with white or discoloured lower theca.

Septa hexamerally arranged in five complete cycles according to the formula: S1-3 > S4 > S5 (96 septa). S1-3 highly exsert, with straight to slightly sinuous axial margins. S4 less exsert than S1-3, each bearing a paliform lobe (24 P4). S5 more exsert than S4, and fuse to adjacent septa at the calicular margin forming lancets. Septal faces and pali bear granules arranged parallel to septal margin. Pali thin, with sinuous axial margin, usually narrower than S4, and forming crown encircling columella. Fossa moderately deep, composed of a fascicular columella composed of 6-8 broad twisted elements.

Distribution.

Regional: Southern to eastern margin of South Africa, off Mazeppa Bay extending towards off Cape Vidal; 183-550 m. Elsewhere: Australia ( Cairns 1998, 2004); New Caledonia (Kitahara et al. 2010); Indonesia ( Cairns and Zibrowius 1997); Sumatra (von Marenzeller, 1904); Mozambique ( Cairns and Keller 1993); and Maldives (Gardiner and Waugh 1938); 183-595 m.

Remarks.

Caryophyllia (C.) grandis closely resembles C. ambriosa Alcock, 1898, for which similarities exist in the number of septa (< 96 septa), corallum shape, and substrate relationship (both unattached). However, C. grandis is distinguished by its narrower pedicel and in having S4 wider than S5. Caryophyllia grandis also has a brownish theca ( Cairns and Keller 1993), as compared with C. ambriosa , which is uniformly white. Caryophyllia grandis was first recorded from South African (off the Southern margin, off Knysna, 500 m) by von Marenzeller (1904a), who reported several Caryophyllia under the name C. clavus Scacchi, 1835 ( C. grandis being one of them). Subsequently, Boshoff (1981) identified C. grandis as C. arcuata (Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848a) in his annotated checklist of the southern Africa fauna. Thus, Zibrowius and Gili (1990) represent the first historically reliable record of C. grandis in the South African region, and authors mention that this species is represented in various localities off Natal but did not list the South African material examined. Cairns and Keller (1993) built on Zibrowius and Gili’s (1990) also reported C. grandis in Mozambique. The new records of C. grandis (SAM_H2813 and SAMC_A073150) are within the previously reported localities (von Marenzeller 1904a a; Zibrowius and Gili 1990; Cairns and Keller 1993).

Figures

Figure 2. A, B Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) grandis (SAMC _ A 073150, off Mazeppa Bay, 480 - 490 m) A calicular view B lateral view C, D Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) lamellifera (SAMC _ A 090155, off Sodwana Bay, 120 m) C calicular view D lateral view E, F Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) profunda (DTE Valdivia Stn 108, off Agulhas, 126 m) E calicular view F lateral view G, H Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) quadragenaria (USNM 91539, Eastern coast, off Shaka's Rock, 350 m) G calicular view H lateral view I, J Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) rugosa (SAMC _ A 090071, off Kosi-Kumpungwini (Sifungwe) Estuary, 370 m) I calicular view J lateral view K, N Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) sarsiae K, L (MN _ SM 226, off Mazeppa Bay, 710 - 775 m) K calicular view L lateral view M, N (MN _ SM 174, off Kidds Beach, 760 m) M calicular view N lateral view O, P Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) scobinosa (SAM _ H 1248, off Durban, 91 m) O calicular view P lateral view. Scale bars: 10 mm.