Victorgorgia alba Moore & Alderslade & Miller 2017, new combination

• Published in: Ecology
• Main Authors: Moore, Kirrily M., Alderslade, Philip, Miller, Karen J.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Cnidaria; Anthozoa; Alcyonacea; Anthothelidae; Victorgorgia; Victorgorgia alba; Bird Island; Grieg
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/6015385; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6015385

Victorgorgia alba (Nutting, 1908) new combination (Figs. 100–109) Clematissa alba Nutting, 1908: 582, Pl. XLIV Fig. 4, XLVIII Fig. 4. Muriceides alba (Nutting, 1908): Kükenthal 1924: 166. Anthothela nuttingi nom. nov.: Bayer, 1956: 86, Figs. 9 a–e. NOT Anthothela alba (Rhizoxenia alba Grieg, 1887 = Clavularia alba): Molander 1929: 18 Material examined. Holotype: USNM 25378, Nihoa Island, Hawaii, RV ‘ Albatross’, stn. 4157, 23.08°N, 161.87°W, depth 1394–1829 m, 6th August 1902 (“off Bird Island ” in original description). Description: Colony form: In the original description the whole colony is described as “incomplete, about 22 mm high, consisting of a sinuous stem giving off two large unequal branches about 50 mm apart” (Nutting 1908). The height of the colony at 22 mm would be very small and appears to be an error on Nutting’s part as the branches are then mentioned as 50 mm apart. The holotype is now two fragments, both of which are straight to slightly curved branches; one fragment has a single bifurcation (Fig. 100 A), the other is a small piece of branch with a terminal polyp bunch (Fig. 100 B). In Bayer’s redescription the colony is described as “ramose; branches stout, clavate” (Bayer 1956a). Bayer gives the diameter of the main stem width as 6.5 mm while the branches taper from 3.5 mm in diameter proximally to 2.5 mm distally at their narrowest point below polyp clusters at the branch tip. Both authors describe the calyces as occurring on all sides of the branches (according to Nutting in an “irregular spiral”) and forming crowded clusters at the branch tip. Average space between calyces is not mentioned by either author, but they appear reasonably crowded right along the branch and occurring on all sides (Fig. 100 A). For the purposes of this redescription, only a tiny piece of a branch with two damaged calyces and two detached polyp heads of the holotype were available for examination (Fig. 100 C). Colour: Nutting mentions the “axis, cortex and calyces are all creamy white in color (in alcohol)” but ...