Desmophyllum dianthus (Esper, 1794)

Cairns, Stephen D. & Polonio, Virginia, 2013, New records of deep-water Scleractinia off Argentina and the Falkland Islands, Zootaxa 3691 (1) : -

Desmophyllum dianthus (Esper, 1794)

Figs. 3 H–I, 4I, 12

Madrepora dianthus Esper, 1794 : pl. 69, figs. 1–3.

Desmophyllum cristagalli Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848: 253 , pl. 7, figs. 10, 10a.—Squires, 1969: 17, pl. 6, map 1.—Cairns, 1982: 29–30, pl. 8, figs. 9–12, pl. 9, figs. 1–3, map 6 (synonymy); 1990: 43–44, fig. 15.

Desmophyllum ingens Moseley, 1881: 160 –162, pl. 4, figs. 1–6, pl. 5, figs. 1–4a.—Squires, 1969: 17, pl. 6, map 1.

Desmophyllum capense Gardiner, 1904: 96 –97.

Desmophyllum cristagalli forma capense: Cairns, 1982: 29 .

Desmophyllum dianthus: Cairns, 1994: 26 –27, pl. 9a–d (synonymy, neotype designation).—Cairns et al., 2005: 36–39, figs. 5A–E, 6F–H, 7.—Kitahara, 2007, 502, 503 (listed).—Kitahara et al., 2009: 228 (listed).

Remarks. This is an extremely commonly collected deep-water coral, having been described and illustrated many times (see synonymy). Most of the specimens reported herein are of the typical form (see Cairns 1982), but one is of the capense form (PAT0108DR11, Fig. 4 I), that specimen having 116 septa, or 10 pairs of S6. The largest specimen (PAT0209DR9) is 55.9 x 41.2 mm in CD.

Distribution. Desmophyllum dianthus is one of about a dozen cosmopolitan species of Scleractinia , occurring everywhere but off continental Antarctica , at depths ranging from 8–2460 m (Roberts et al. 2009: www.lophelia.org/coldwatercoralsbook). It has been previously reported from both Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Patagonia (Cairns 1982, Cairns et al. 2005). The newly reported Argentinean records range from 733–1629 m and occur throughout the study area ( Fig. 12).

Material. PAT0108DR11, 2, USNM 1192954; PAT1008DR1, 1, USNM 1192956; PAT1008DR4, 2, MNCN, and 1, USNM 1192957; PAT1008DR6, 1, USNM 1192953; PAT1208DR4, 1, MNCN; PAT0209DR7, 1, USNM 1192950; PAT0209DR8, 1, MNCN; PAT0209DR9, 2, MNCN, and 1, USNM 1192952; PAT0209DR10, 1, USNM 1192955; PAT0209DR11, 1, USNM 1192949; PAT0209DR15, 3, MNCN; PAT0209DR16, 3, MNCN, and 1, USNM 1192951; ATL08Lo14, 1, MNCN.

Figures

FIGURE 3. A – B, Crispatotrochus cornu, PAT 0209 DR 16, calicular and lateral views of corallum. C – G, Monohedotrochus capitolii: C, PAT 1008 DR 8, calicular view; D, PAT 0209 DR 11, calicular view; E – F, PAT 1008 DR 3, calicular and lateral views of corallum; G, PAT 0108 DR 11, calicular view. H – I, Desmophyllum dianthus: H, PAT 0108 DR 11, lateral view of corallum; I, PAT 1008 DR 4, calicular view of corallum attached to a stylasterid. J, Solenosmilia australis, holotype. K – M, Flabellum curvatum: K – L, ATL 09 Lo 66, lateral and calicular views of corallum; M, ATL 10 Lo 89, lateral view of straight corallum. N – O, F. thouarsii, ATL 10 Lo 89, lateral and calicular views of corallum with tissue.

FIGURE 4. A – B, Flabellum areum, PAT 0209 DR 4, lateral and calicular views of corallum. C – F, F. cinctutum: C, WH 197 / 71, lateral view; D – F, holotype, oblique calicular, stereo calicular, and lateral views of corallum. G – H, Javania antarctica, PAT 1008 DR 12, calicular and lateral views of corallum. I, Desmophyllum dianthus, PAT 0108 DR 11, calicular view of capense form. J, Javania antarctica, PAT 1208 DR 9, lateral view of corallum. K – M, Javania cristata: K – L, holotype, lateral and stereo calicular views of corallum; M, PAT 1008 DR 10, calicular view.