Eleutherobia nezdoliyi Dautova & Savinkin, 2009, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Dautova, Tatyana N.
name: Savinkin, Oleg V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Cnidaria
Anthozoa
Alcyonacea
Alcyoniidae
Eleutherobia
Eleutherobia nezdoliyi

description: Eleutherobia nezdoliyi sp. nov.
(Fig. 1 A, B, D, Figs. 2, 3, 4)
Material examined. Holotype: MIMB 16537, 12°11.49’N, 109°20.56’E, 12 m, 11 Nov 2005, Nok Island, Nha Trang Bay, South China Sea, Vietnam, coll. T. N. Dautova and O.V. Savinkin.
Paratypes: MIMB 16538, 4 specimens, 12° 9.7′ N, 109° 18′ E, 27 m, 7 Apr 2007, Mun Island, Nha Trang Bay, South China Sea, Vietnam, coll. O.V. Savinkin.
Description. Living colonies are up to 20 mm high (Fig. 1 A). The holotype (Fig. 1 B) is slightly flattened, which was caused by fixation. The polyps have no sclerites and are semi-expanded or retracted into conical protuberances on the polyparium surface where the surface sclerites are arranged into 8 triangular zones. The surface layer of the polyparium is 1.5 mm thick; the stalk surface layer 0.5 mm.
The polyparium surface layer contains 6-, 7- and 8-radiate capstans, along with rods and crosses. The smallest sclerites are compact capstans, up to 0.05 x 0.037 mm, with 7 or 8 short crowded tubercles and a very short median waist (Fig. 2 A): they are common. Larger 6-, 7- and 8-radiate capstans are up to 0.1 mm long. They are less compact, robust and also have a distinctly smooth waist (Fig. 2 C). A few sclerites have poorly developed tubercles, so they can be considered as warty rods, up to 0.1 mm long and slightly flattened (Fig. 2 D). Distinctly flattened, granulated rods with one expanded ending (up to 0.1 mm long, Fig. 2 E) are remarkable, but few. Crosses are very common (Fig 2 B). The polyparium interior contains sclerites of similar forms to those in the surface. However, the rods, up to 0.12 mm long, predominate and the 6- and 8-radiate capstans, up to 0.06 mm long, are quite rare. Crosses and flattened granulated rods with one expanded end are present in small numbers.
In the stalk surface, compact capstans are very rare (Fig. 3 A). Longer 6-, 7- and 8-radiate capstans are robust and common (Fig. 3 B). Sclerites up to 0.9 mm long with poorly developed outgrowths (Fig. 3 C) may be considered as transitional forms to the few warty rods (Fig. 3 D) and flattened granulated rods up to 0.9 mm long (Fig. 3 E). Crosses are common.
The stalk interior has some 6- and 8-radiate capstans (up to 0.06 mm long, Fig. 4 A) and smooth rods with girdles of prominences at both ends (Fig. 4 B). Other warty rods up to 0.12 mm long are abundant (Fig. 4 E), and flattened granulated bodies are also common (Fig. 4 D). Crosses and irregular warty bodies are present also (Fig. 4 C).
Variability. No clear inter-colony variability in the sclerite forms and sizes were found between all studied specimens.
Colouration. Living colonies are orange. The surface layer of alcohol-fixed specimens is bright orange due to the colored sclerites (Fig. 1 B, D); the colony interior is lighter, yellowish; anthocodiae are colorless.
Distribution. Nha Trang Bay (South China Sea, Vietnam).
Etymology. The species is named for Victor Nezdoliy, of the Joint Administration of the Russian- Vietnamese Tropical Centre in Nha Trang, an enthusiastic supporter of our work in the field.
Remarks. Of the nineteen Eleutherobia species only 5 have the anthocodiae without sclerites (Verseveldt & Bayer 1988; Williams & Little 2001; Williams 2003). These are E. albiflora (Utinomy, 1957), E. aurea Benayahu & Schleyer, 1995, E. flammicerebra Williams, 2003, E. grayi (Thomson & Dean, 1931) and E. rotifera (J. S. Thomson, 1910). E. nezdoliyi sp. nov. distinctly differs from them by its sclerite composition. E. albiflora has only small capstans and 8-radiates (Utinomy 1957: 159–161, Fig. 6). E. aurea (Benayahu & Schleyer 1995: 5, Figs. 3–5), E. rotifera (Verseveldt & Bayer 1988: 36) and E. flammicerebra (Williams 2003: 425, Figs. 4–8) contain small capstans and tuberculate spheroids. E. grayi has no compact capstans, but has smooth, slender capstans and branched rods with long branchlets, both of which are lacking in the present species.
description: Published as part of Dautova, Tatyana N. & Savinkin, Oleg V., 2009, New data on soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) from Nha Trang Bay, South China Sea, pp. 1-27 in Zootaxa 2027 on pages 2-3, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.186181