Melithaea

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 : 26

Genus: Melithaea

Preliminary remarks: The melithaeids are one of the most difficult groups to identify. There are usually many different sclerite forms in a single colony, with many intermediates between each form, which makes it extremely difficult to compare with other specimens. This problem is exacerbated by the low number of sclerite images figured in most descriptions and the general poor quality of those images, resulting in very few descriptions that approach adequacy. In 2014 Reijnen et al. used morphological and molecular data to propose that all the familial genera recognised at that time should be synonymised under the genus Melithaea . This genus is now comprised of 113 species, very few of which have a description of sufficient quality to have a good chance of facilitating an accurate identification.