Muricea retusa Verrill, 1869

Breedy, Odalisca & Guzman, Hector M., 2016, A revision of the genus Muricea Lamouroux, 1821 (Anthozoa, Octocorallia) in the eastern Pacific. Part II, ZooKeys 581, pp. 1-69 : 44-46

Taxon classification Animalia Alcyonacea Plexauridae

Muricea retusa Verrill, 1869 Figures 31, 32

Muricea retusa Verrill, 1869: 432-434; Kükenthal 1919: 752; Kükenthal 1924: 148; Harden 1979: 158.

Material.

Holotype. YPM 3068, dry, attached to a colony of Muricea fruticosa , Pearl Islands, Panamá, 11-14 m, F.H. Bradley, 1866-1867. Schizotype. USNM 1013283, same data as in the holotype.

Description.

The holotype is a 7 cm long and about 6 cm wide colony. It is attached to the holdfast of a large Muricea fruticosa colony (Fig. 31A). The holotype has a conical holdfast about 14 mm diameter. The branching is dichotomous, in one plane (Fig. 31A). Two main branches arise from a short stem, and bifurcate producing secondary branches, that subdivide again at a distance 25-50 mm apart. The branches split at angles of about 45°, and the only one that is complete is slightly curved, and clavate at the end. The branches are 7-8 mm in diameter and are of the same diameter along their length, and little enlarged toward the tips. Unbranched terminal ends are up to 50 mm long, but most are stumps. The calyces are all around the branches, close together, not imbricated but little overlapped and composed of two horizontal rows of sclerites. They are sub-conical, as wide as long, 1-1.5 mm in height, directed upwards at angles of 30°-45° at the upper branches and at greater angles at the lower branches, also more distantly spaced and smaller (Fig. 31A). The coenenchyme is coarse, composed of large and irregular-shaped spindles giving a granulose aspect to the colony. The sclerites are reddish purple, purple varying to light orange (Fig. 31 B–D). The outer coenenchymal and calycular sclerites are mostly unilateral spinous spindles, 0.35-1.2 mm long and 0.15-0.6 mm wide, one side crowded by small warts and the other spinulate, with short or large spines. They are of diverse shapes, unequal with one side truncate and the other acute, with triangular or with almost rectangular forms (Fig. 32A), and warty cylindrical spindles 0.30-0.45 mm long and 0.12-0.20 mm wide (Fig. 32B). The axial sheath is composed of light orange irregular spindles and radiates, 0.10-0.30 mm long and 0.06-0.14 mm wide (Fig. 32C). Anthocodial sclerites are orange and light yellow irregular spindles and warty rods 0.06-0.40 mm long and 0.02-0.10 mm wide (Figs 31D, 32D).

Colour of the colony is reddish purple.

Distribution.

It is only known from the type locality, Pearl Islands, Panamá.

Remarks.

Verrill (1869) described this species from just one specimen on the holdfast of a 36 cm by 29 cm Muricea fruticosa colony. Except for Harden (1979), who mentioned this species, no other author has referred to it, and no other specimens are identified as Muricea retusa in the museums visited.