Psammogorgia flabellum ( Pallas, 1766 )

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 : 69

Psammogorgia flabellum ( Pallas, 1766)

Antipathes flabellum Pallas, 1766: 211 (Indian Ocean) .

Heterogorgia flabellum Breedy & Guzman 2011: 29

Opinion: This species does not occur in the region.

Justification:

These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable: Thomas & George 1986: 106, fig. 1m, 1–4 (SE & SW coast); Thomas & Jacob 1987: 26, figs. 1I, 2C; Thomas et al. 1995: 139 (NE coast); Thomas et al. 1998: 163 (SW coast); Mary & Lazarus 2004: 37–38, fig. 14&15 (SW coast).

Literature analysis: This species was originally named Antipathes flabellum . In 1910, Nutting named a new species Heterogorgia reticulata , which Kükenthal said was a synonym of Antipathes flabellum . Following Nutting, Kükenthal placed Antipathes flabellum in the genus Heterogorgia . Heterogorgia reticulata is actually an Echinogorgia and therefore not a synonym of H. flabellum . Being a Pallas species, the details of the characters of the latter are essentially unknown because the material is missing. In their revision of Heterogorgia, Breedy & Guzman (2011) state that the species belongs in the genus Psammogorgia , which has simple, planar or bushy colonies, with thick branches and only occurs on the West coast of the Americas. All Indian records, therefore, are incorrect.

Thomas & George (1986) describe a reticulate colony of an uncertain genus with spindles in the coenenchyme and Thomas & George (1987) provide a figure of the colony described in their 1986 paper. Thomas & Jacob (1987) describe the same material as in the 1986 paper with the addition of a few more sclerite drawings, and Thomas et al. (1995) just record the species and refer to the 1986 description. Thomas et al. (1998) record two samples from the southwest coast of India. Mary & Lazarus (2004) describe another colony but include the same sclerite images as in Thomas & Jacob. Varghese et al. (2007) just lists the species and provide a colony image, while Kumar et al. (2016) lists the species.

The identity of the specimens in the Indian accounts is uncertain, but with a reticulate growth form and the surface of the coenenchyme full of spindle-shaped sclerites it is probable that the Indian material represents a species of Muricella .