Eguchipsammia cornucopia (Pourtalès, 1871), Pourtales, 1871

Altuna, Álvaro, 2013, Scleractinia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) from ECOMARG 2003, 2008 and 2009 expeditions to bathyal waters off north and northwest Spain (northeast Atlantic), Zootaxa 3641 (2), pp. 101-128 : 119

Eguchipsammia cornucopia (Pourtalès, 1871)

( Figs. 5 H–J, tables 1–3)

Dendrophyllia cornucopia: Zibrowius 1980: 175 , pl. 88, figs. A–L.—Monteiro Marques & Andrade 1981: 88.—Ramil Blanco & Fernández Pulpeiro 1990: 28.—Álvarez Claudio 1993: 418.—Álvarez Claudio 1994c: 467.—Louzao et al. 2010: S1. Eguchipsammia cornucopia: Cairns 1994: 85 .—Cairns 2001: 26.—Cairns & Chapman 2001: 35 (tab. 1).—Reveillaud et al. 2008: 322 (tab. 1), 325 (fig. 4).—Altuna 2010: 21.

Material examined. Le Danois Bank, 2008: Stn. S 7V, 488 m, 54 specimens, ten of them dead.

Description. Corallum colonial and unattached. Colonies with a main cylindrical corallite tapering gradually to a pointed base, straight to definitely curved or scolecoid, up to 13.0 cm in height. Buds numerous, normally small, more abundant near distal end; occasionally secondary buds occur on distal-most corallites. Wall thick and porous, more porous distally, costate, with a few transverse corrugations of epitheca. Costae equal, flat, with narrow intercostal striae and minute pointed granules or spines. Calices circular (young specimens), elliptical or irregular (adults), up to GCD= 2.0 cm. Septa up to 82 arranged hexamerally in five cycles (48 septa) with S5 incomplete (34 septa). Septa of main corallite rarely anastomosed, more evident in the buds and in higher cycle septa. S1−S2 free, dominant, equal in size, slightly longer than S3; S4 joining before S3 and extending to the columella. Septa descending vertically into fossa, weakly porous, poorly exsert or none at all. Inner edges of septa smooth (normally in S1−S3) or with small processes (normally in S4). Septal faces with small pointed granules. Fossa moderately deep, with a neat columella, convex, discrete (set apart from septa by a neat furrow, fig. 5J), variable in outline, elliptical, circular or irregular; structure papillar or formed by fused twisted lamellae with their edges finely serrated. Corallum greyish basally to white or light brown distally.

Remarks. Species of Eguchipsammia Cairns, 1994 produce new corallites by extra- or intratentacular budding (Cairns 2001: 26). The latter, much more rare, occurs in the main coralite of one specimen from stn. S 7V. The coralla of many specimens were corroded by Lumbrineris . This association has been mentioned also in specimens from Le Danois Bank by Zibrowius (1980).

Eguchipsammia cornucopia is an amphiatlantic coral scarcely recorded in the Eastern Atlantic. It was cited by Zibrowius (1980) from the Bay of Biscay, principally on its southern sector off Spain.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Flabellum chunii Marenzeller, 1904 (Galicia Bank). A – C) Coralla in side view with corrosion by Lumbrineris (A, H = 4.83 cm; B, H = 3.9 cm; C, H = 3.7 cm; A, stn. V 6; B – D, stn. V 4). D) Detail showing circular marks of corrosion by Turridae near calicular margin (specimen B). Flabellum macandrewi Gray, 1849 (stn. V 1, Le Danois Bank). E) Corallum in side view (GCD = 2.39 cm; LCD = 2.22 cm; H = 1.86 cm). F) Calicular view of the same specimen. G) Fragment. Eguchipsammia cornucopia (Pourtalès, 1871) (stn. S 7 V, Le Danois Bank). H) Whole specimen in side view. I) Calicular view of the same specimen (GCD = 1.76 cm). J) Calicular view of a dead specimen showing intratentacular budding, with formation of three new calices and three new columellae. Scale bar: A – B = 3.0 cm; C = 2.0 cm; D = 0.9 cm; E – G, J = 1.0 cm; H = 2.5 cm; I = 1.5 cm.