Monomyces rubrum (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)

Cairns, S. D., 2004, The Azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Coelenterata: Anthozoa) of Australia, Records of the Australian Museum 56, pp. 259-329 : 304-305

Monomyces rubrum (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)

Figs. 9M,N, 10A

Turbinolia rubra Quoy & Gaimard, 1833: 188–189 , pl. 14, figs. 5–9 ( NZ).

Flabellum rubrum .– Tenison-Woods, 1878b: 311–313 ( Australia).–Not Folkeson, 1919: 4–5 (= Truncatoflabellum aculeatum and T. spheniscus ).–Not Crossland, 1952: 105–106 (= Truncatoflabellum cumingi ).–Not Stephenson & Wells, 1956: 56 (listed).– Wells, 1958: 261 (listed).– Squires, 1963: 11–41, pls. 1–2 (synonymy, description, remarks, NZ).–Not Wells, 1964: 108 (= Truncatoflabellum cumingi ).– Veron, 1986: 603 (listed).

Monomyces rubrum .– Cairns, 1995: 105–108, pl. 34a–i (synonymy, description, NZ).

New records. NEW SOUTH WALES: Kapala 78/26/08, 3, AM G16298 ; Kimbla 4, 1, AM G16341 ; Shelf Benthic Survey 33, 1, AM G16348 ; 34°04'S 151°16'E (off Cronulla ), 120 m, 1966, 1, AM G15364 ; 35°20'S 150°47'E (off Ulladulla ), 135 m, May 1954, 9: 2, USNM 1009342 , 7 , AM G16338 . — NORTHERN TERRITORY: 12°34'S 130°34'E (East Point, Darwin ), depth unknown, October 1965, 5, AM G14218 .

Types. The lecto- and paralectotype are deposited at MNHN (designated by Squires, 1963). Type Locality: Cook Strait , New Zealand, 46 m.

Remarks. Both Squires (1963) and Cairns (1995) discounted the presence of Monomyces rubrum from Australia, considering the species to be endemic to New Zealand. Indeed, Crossland’s (1952) report of F. rubrum is herein identified as a Truncatoflabellum , and the report by Tenison-Woods (1878b: 312) was stated by him to be of “doubtful” locality. Nonetheless, six lots including 20 specimens of typical M. rubrum are reported from New South Wales herein, the first substantiated records of the genus from Australia. All specimens were small, not exceeding 12 mm in GCD, and usually having only 48 septa, but all specimens had the typical asymmetrical basal polycyclic development characteristic of the typical form of the species ( Fig. 10A).