Deltocyathus italicus (Michelotti, 1838)

Filander, Zoleka N., Kitahara, Marcelo V., Cairns, Stephen D., Sink, Kerry J. & Lombard, Amanda T., 2021, Azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) from South Africa, ZooKeys 1066, pp. 1-198 : 1

Deltocyathus italicus (Michelotti, 1838)

Turbinolia italica Michelotti, 1838: 51, pl. 1, fig. 8.

Deltocyathus agassizii . -Moseley 1876: 546, 551 (in part).

Deltocyathus italicus . - Pourtalès 1880: 101 (in part), pl. 1, figs 2, 3. - Moseley 1881: 145-147 (in part). -von Marenzeller 1904a: 281 (in part). - Gravier 1920: 34-36 (in part). -Keller 1975: 177, pl. 2, figs 1-4B. -Kitahara 2007: 502-503. -Kitahara and Cairns 2009: 236.

Deltocyathus sp. cf. D. italicus . - Cairns 1979: 95-97, pl. 17, figs 1-3. - Reyes et al. 2009: 16, fig. 3E, F.

Deltocyathus conicus Zibrowius, 1980: 83-85, pl. 39, figs A-L. - Zibrowius and Gili 1990: 35, pl. 2, figs M-O.

Type locality.

Tortona, Italy (Miocene) ( Cairns 1979).

Type material.

The holotype is lost ( Cairns 1979).

Material examined.

None.

Distribution.

Regional: Western margin of South Africa, off Alexander Bay and Port Nolloth; 882-1412 m (Zibrowius and Gili 1991). Elsewhere: widespread in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico ( Cairns 1978, 1979; Cairns et al. 2009); off Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; Bermuda ( Cairns 1979; Kitahara 2007); Colombia ( Reyes et al. 2009); Gulf of Gasco; Azores; Morocco; Miocene of Italy; Gulf of Guinea; Angola ( Zibrowius 1980); 403-2634 m.

Remarks.

This species is well described by Cairns (1979) and Zibrowius (1980), who both noted that the corallum is patellate and free, with a prominent conical base bearing no basal scar. The costae are ridged, unequal in size, and with a dentate appearance. The regional occurrence of Deltocyathus italicus is based on the Zibrowius and Gili (1991) record as no other specimens have been examined. Apart from the inter-species variation in the H:D ratio and columella development, highlighted by Zibrowius and Gili (1991), D. italicus may be differentiated from the other Atlantic species of Deltocyathus in having a strongly conical base ( Cairns 1979 b; Zibrowius 1980).