Euplexaura robusta Kükenthal, 1909

Lam, Katherine & Morton, Brian, 2008, Soft corals, sea fans, gorgonians (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) and black and wire corals (Ceriantipatharia: Antipatharia) from submarine caves in Hong Kong with a checklist of local species and a description of a new species of Paraminabea, Journal of Natural History 42 (9 - 12), pp. 749-780 : 765-766

Euplexaura robusta Kükenthal, 1909

( Figure 5)

Euplexaura robusta Kükenthal, 1909:18 , figs. 13–15; 1919:225–226

Euplexaura robusta Kükenthal, 1924:95 , fig. 67; Thomson and Dean 1931:198; Hickson 1932:471, text-fig. 1–3; Stiasny 1935:21; Zou and Scott 1982:153, pl. 4B, 14E–I

Euplexaura flabellate Broch, 1916:42 , Fig. 16; Thomson and Dean 1931:198 Euplexaura sp. Fabricius & Alderslade, 2001:191, photo 1

Description

Colonies formed by thick, pink branches between 3–4 mm in diameter and arranged almost in one plane. Branches have a knobbed end. Polyps show low but well-defined calyces with an eight-lobed margin and a crown of three transverse rows bearing triangular points with 3–4 pairs of sclerites en chevron. Beyond the tips of the triangles are well-armoured retracted tentacles. Colony attachment base bears a few small verrucae. Sclerites in outer coenenchyme thick, plano-convex, oval discs (diameter, 0.4 mm) with longer tubercles on the outer than the inner flat surface. Sclerites in inner layer of coenenchyme are spindle-shaped, tuberculate and, 0.2 mm in length.

Type locality

Japan.

Distribution

Japan, northwest Australia, east coast of Ceram (west of New Guinea), Hong Kong.

Remarks

This species occurs in Conic Island Cave.