Melithaea cinquemiglia ( Grasshoff, 1999 )

Ramvilas, Ghosh, Alderslade, Philip & Ranjeet, Kutty, 2023, The taxonomy of Indian gorgonians: an assessment of the descriptive records of gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) recorded as occurring in the territorial waters of India, along with neighbouring regions and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the highlighting of perceived unethical practice, Zootaxa 5236 (1), pp. 1-124 : 28

Melithaea cinquemiglia ( Grasshoff, 1999)

Acabaria cinquemiglia Grasshoff, 1999: 9 , pl. fig. 9; pl. 2, fig. 3 ( New Caledonia).

Mopsella spinosa Tixier-Durivault, 1970: 328 .

Opinion: There is no evidence that this species occurs in the region.

Justification:

These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable: Kumar et al. 2014a: 90, pl. 42, fig. A–E (South Andaman); Fernando et al. 2017: 31, pl. 11, fig. A–D (Andaman Is.).

Literature analysis: This species was originally named Acabaria cinquemiglia . The descriptions given by Kumar et al. (2014a) and Fernando et al. (2017) are identical, but it is impossible to know the true characteristics of their specimen as virtually all of their description is taken word-for-word from Grasshoff’s original text, which has resulted in some of their figures being quite different from their own text. The authors state that colonies are red and the polyps are arranged all around the branches, but in fig. C of their plates the pale-yellow brown colony has the biserial polyps. They also state that the coenenchyme contains long, slender spindles “with high tubercles and flat processes, many are curious looking caterpillar shapes” (as per Grasshoff), but the cortex sclerites in their figure are just short spindles and none bear any resemblance to the leaf spindles of the holotype. Additionally, the coenenchymal and anthocodial sclerites of the Indian material are less than half the size of those in the holotype. Kumar et al. (2015) lists the species and provide a colony image, and Kumar et al. (2019, 2019a) remark that the species occurs in the region and give references. The species is probably endemic to New Caledonia.