Swiftia cf. spauldingi (Nutting, 1909)

Horvath, Elizabeth Anne, 2019, A review of gorgonian coral species (Cnidaria, Octocorallia, Alcyonacea) held in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History research collection: focus on species from Scleraxonia, Holaxonia, Calcaxonia - Part III: Suborder Holaxonia continued, and suborder Calcaxonia, ZooKeys 860, pp. 183-306 : 203-206

Swiftia cf. spauldingi (Nutting, 1909) Figures 11 , 12A, B , 13A, B

Psammogorgia spauldingi Nutting, 1909: 721, 722, pl 89 (figs 3, 4), 90 (fig. 7).

? = Euplexaura marki Kükenthal, 1913: 266; noted by Bayer 1979: 1034.

? Chromoplexaura marki ( Kükenthal, 1913): Williams 2013.

Type locality.

[USA], North Pacific, California, Monterey Bay, Pacific Grove.

Type specimens.

Holotype; transferred from Hopkins Marine Laboratory Collection; [USNM 91854, wet]; specimen was examined.

Material examined.

~9 lots (see Appendix 3: List of material examined). [See also discussion regarding "red whip" forms, in Remarks section for species Chromoplexaura marki discussed in Part II of this work.]

Description.

Colony ( Figure 11 ) low, moderately bushy (tending to one plane); flabellate. Sparsely branched; irregularly dichotomous, subdividing some distance above base; branches round in cross section. Terminal branches somewhat stout, 5.0-10.0 cm long, as large as main stem, nearly as round (2.0-3.0 mm thick); slender, whip-like. Polyps scattered closely, uniformly, over surface on all sides, as very low, fairly large, somewhat rounded warts; in some specimens, scarcely raised above general surface of colony, almost entirely included, hardly evident (flush), seeming to be nearly absent, yet in others readily visible; less than 1.0 mm across, 1.0 mm apart. Color of living colony bright coral or salmon-orange; sclerites range from yellowish to very pale red (most commonly, moderate to pale salmon pink), with orange rods; polyps, in preserved specimens, appear to be pure white, while in some colonies (preserved) can appear light salmon-pink. Sclerites ( Figures 12A, B , 13A, B ) of several kinds, but generally small, short, exceedingly warty spindles and double-spindles. Sclerites in body wall of polyps somewhat longer, more slender spindles (double-spindles), with more delicate warts and points, tapered with wide, median space, but stout, scarcely acute (but never as long as those seen in other eastern Pacific species of Swiftia ). Bayer (1956) noted these longer sclerites as symmetrical or with warts on one side simple and conical, elsewhere compound. With appearance of two or three whorls of large, compound, rough warts on each end, those nearest middle usually the largest. These longer sclerites tend to longitudinal arrangement in body wall in eight rows; rows sometime extending part way up outer sides of tentacles. Stouter sclerites (double-spindles) also tapered with wide median space, but shorter, blunt, each end with two or three crowded, usually somewhat confused whorls of large rough warts, forming large terminal cluster. (Bayer, 1956 noted these sclerites as having warts of one side fused like those of disc spindles). In some colonies identified as this species, presence of sclerite form approaching that of double heads ( Figure 13A , top row), with narrow median space and large cluster of closely crowded warts on each end, resembling dark, dense triangular tip; these sclerites are of particular interest in comparison with Chromoplexaura marki and the double dunce-cap sclerite. Other heads shorter, lacking median space, entirely covered with crowded warts. Crosses, with four short, roughly-warted branches said to occur frequently; not evident in examinations undertaken. Fingerbiscuit rods ( Figure 13B ) more heavily warted than those seen in other species from genus (but may not be abundantly present).

Etymology.

Named in honor of Mr MH Spaulding from Stanford University.

Distribution.

Rarely, southern California (Los Angeles County); may extend from central California, northern California Channel Islands, north to coast of Washington State (Strait of Juan de Fuca). Distribution based on specimens examined with collection location data, from several sources (NMNH, NOAA offices, MBARI). The specimen collected by Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary in 2008, collected at 335 m, ~ 48°07'53"N, 125°05'20"W, confirmed WA coastal waters as a location for this species.

Biology.

Conspicuous Ophiuroidea found intertwined on branches, as those seen on specimen from "Oregon State, R/V ‘Yaquina’ NH15" (SBMNH 423073) and that collected by Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary in 2008.

Remarks.

Multiple labels (NMNH) were associated with some specimens examined, along with differences in literature usage of the genus name Swiftia and at least one specimen at NMNH had been given the name Psammogorgia spauldingi (while elsewhere, Bayer’s SEM files, the folder of SEM images for this same specimen, was labeled " Leptogorgia caryi = Swiftia spauldingi ," with the numbers "57157, SEM 2787 & 2790" [note use of the genus name Swiftia ]; however, this synonymy designation is in error).

The discussion of Chromoplexaura marki in Part II (along with remarks given for S. simplex ) is pertinent. At least one specimen of C. marki examined had sclerites very similar to those seen in S. spauldingi , but there were no anthocodial fingerbiscuit rods. Could S. spauldingi sometimes be seen as a less-branched colony, resembling C. marki (or be very unbranched, and look more like S. simplex )? S. simplex , S. spauldingi and C. marki can have similar colony appearance; but the first two will have the fingerbiscuit rods, and only the latter two will have sclerites showing other similarities of form (but not entirely). A key difference (and justification for keeping the two, C. marki and S. spauldingi , as separate species) is the consistent lack of fingerbiscuit rods in C. marki , but which does have the unusual double dunce-cap spindles that are only uncommonly seen in S. spauldingi (and in this latter species, usually smaller-sized; refer to Figure 13A ). Bayer (1979: 1034) offered support for a synonymy between the two, but this synonymy seems questionable. More specimens will need to be collected and examined. Despite confusion regarding the status of this species, Cordeiro et al. (2019), shows S. spauldingi as the accepted name, with Psammogorgia spauldingi the only synonymized name.

Figures

Figure 11. Swiftia spauldingi, CB 34806 - 455. Full colony height approximately 12 cm. Image taken by Carla Stehr, courtesy of Ewann Berntson, National Fisheries Science Center, Port Orchard, WA.

Figure 12. Swiftia spauldingi, CB 34806 - 455, light microscopy arrays. A 4 x magnification B 10 x magnification; anthocodial fingerbiscuit-rods very obvious, measuring from 128 - 171 µm. The dense " ovals " measure between 100 - 115 µm; smallest sclerites are ~ 86 µm.

Figure 13. Swiftia spauldingi, CB 34806 - 455, SEM image. A An array of coenenchymal sclerites (spindles) B An array of, primarily, " fingerbiscuit-rods, " the characteristic sclerites for the genus. Images prepared by Carla Stehr, courtesy of Ewann Berntson, National Fisheries Science Center, Port Orchard, WA.