Eunicea fusca Duchassaing & Michelotti, White Horse Reef 1860

• Main Author: Sánchez, Juan Armando
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2009
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Cnidaria; Anthozoa; Alcyonacea; Plexauridae; Eunicea; Eunicea fusca; Indian; Rosario; Somerset Island; Ramirez; Bay Punta
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5492303; https://zenodo.org/record/5492303

EUNICEA FUSCA DUCHASSAING & MICHELOTTI, 1860 (FIGS 1I, 2O) Eunicea fusca Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860: 25 (holotype: Turín, Italy). Eunicea fusca : Bayer, 1961: 138. Description: Colonies usually small (<0.3 m) but up to 0.5 m in height. Asexual (vegetative) propagation from fragments commonly observed (Fig. 1I). Colony with disorganized branching but with a dichotomous trend. Slim branches between 2.5 and 3.5 mm in diameter. Polyp apertures with low calyx as an enlargement of the lower lip. Middle layer with spindle sclerites up to 2 mm in length. Axial layer sclerites spindles up to 0.2 mm in length colourless or slightly violet, sometimes with large ornamentations. Polyp armature composed of slightly curved rods between 0.05 and 0.22 mm in length. Diagnostic features: The surface layer contains clubs with smooth folds, sometimes fused, up to 0.18 mm in length (Fig. 2O, see also Fig. 8). Distribution and habitat: Widespread in the Tropical Western Atlantic. Most reef environments with intermediate wave exposition and depth. Along the Caribbean coast of Colombia E. fusca was found to be very common exhibiting extensive vegetative propagation. Examined material: ICN-MHN-CO-079 (Q1), El Morrito, Santa Marta Bay (Punta Betín), Caribbean coast of Colombia, 4.iii.1996, hard ground and rubble 6 m, col. J.A. Sánchez. USNM 97688 (20) Tesoro island, Rosario islands, Caribbean coast of Colombia, col. J.A. Sánchez & A. Ramirez, 17.x.1992; fore-reef terrace on rubble sand areas 8 m. INV-CNID-372, (E-98), Albuquerque Cays (12° 10′ 29″N, 81° 51′ 11″W), Colombian Caribbean, 30.v.1994, lagoonal patch reef, col. J.A. Sánchez. USNM 51783, Bermuda, Somerset Island, 5–6 m, col. Tucker T., 31.viii.1960, donor: Peterson L.W. USNM 52414, (70% ETOH), Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, Yucatan, Peninsula, Campeche Bank, Alacranes Reef, col. Bonet F., vii.1961, donor: Bonet F. USNM 83600, Gulf of Mexico, United States, Florida, Florida Keys, (F87- 23), 12 m. col. W. Fenical, vii.1987. : Published as part of Sánchez, Juan Armando, 2009, Systematics of the candelabrum gorgonian corals (Eunicea Lamouroux; Plexauridae; Octocorallia; Cnidaria), pp. 237-263 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 157 (2) on page 247, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00515.x, http://zenodo.org/record/5443702 : {"references": ["Duchassaing P, Michelotti J. 1860. Memoire sur les coralliaires des Antilles. Memoires de l'Academie Royale des Sciences de Turin 2: 279 - 365.", "Bayer FM. 1961. The shallow water Octocorallia of the West Indian region. Studies of the Fauna of Curacao 12: 1 - 373."]}