Coralliidae
Creators: name: Tu, Tzu-Hsuan
name: Dai, Chang-Feng
name: Jeng, Ming-Shiou
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Cnidaria
Anthozoa
Alcyonacea
Coralliidae

description: Key to species of Coralliidae in northern West Pacific
1. Autozooids seated in deep axial pits with a prominently beaded margin.............................. Paracorallium ... 2
- Autozooids not seated in deep axial pits with a prominently beaded margin.............................. Corallium ... 4
2. Double clubs present............................................................. P. inutile Kishinouye (Fig. 1)
- Double clubs absent................................................................................... 3
3. Autozooids occurring all around stems and branches; axis pink.......................... P. tortuosum (see Bayer 1993)
- Autozooids more or less strictly arranged on one side of colony; axis red.......................... P. japonicum (Fig. 2)
4. Autozooids retractile within short, hemispherical or cylindrical cortical mounds; long spindles in tentacles absent......... 5
- Autozooids non-retractile forming prominent cylinders when contracted; long spindles in tentacles present.............. 12
5. Cortical mounds distributed predominantly on one side of the colony............................................. 6
- Cortical mounds distributed on all sides of the colony or arranged biserially...................................... 11
6. Cortical mounds evenly distributed on one side of the colony................................................... 7
- Cortical mounds clustered in groups on one side of the colony.................................................. 8
7. Slender, prickle-like twigs on front surface absent; 6-radiates abundant; axis orange.................... C. elatius (Fig. 3)
- Slender, prickle-like twigs on front surface present; 6-radiates rare; axis pale-pink to white........... C. secundum (Fig. 4)
8. Octoradiates not present or rare.......................................................................... 9
- Octoradiates most abundant............................................................................ 10
9. Cortical mounds short and cylindrical; cortex with fine granular surface; 8-radiates present; axis orange............................................................................................ C. carusrubrum n. sp. (Figs. 5, 6)
- Cortical mounds hemispherical; cortex smooth; end twigs thick; 8-radiates absent; axis milky-white with pinkish center........................................................................................... C. konojoi (Fig. 7)
10. Six-radiates present and common; cortex not papillate; axis white................................. C. niveum (Fig. 8)
- Six-radiates absent; cortex papillate; axis orangish to yellowish-orange..... C. pusillum (see Kishinouye 1904; plate V, 3–4)
11. Cortical mounds distributed on all sides of the colony, which is branched on all sides; smooth double heads predominant.............................................................................................. C. borneense
- Cortical mounds raised and arranged biserially; colony branched in one plane; smooth double heads absent... C. kishinouyei
12. Double clubs present.................................................................................. 13
- Double clubs absent.................................................................... C. laauense (Fig. 9)
13. Heads of double clubs smooth with weak protuberances....................................... C. abyssale (Fig. 10)
- Heads of double clubs rough with obvious protuberances..................................................... 14
14. Autozooids arranged biserially; oval shape 8-radiates absent; cortex not covered by irregular creases.................. 15
- Autozooids distributed in the front side and not arranged biserally; oval shape 8-radiates present; cortex thin and covered by irregular creases.......................................................... C. taiwanicum sp. nov. (Figs. 11, 12)
15. Crosses and irregular radiates present; spheroidal 6-radiates absent............................................. 16
- Crosses and irregular sclerites absent;, spheroidal 6-radiates present............................... C. regale (Fig. 13)
16. Main branches laterally compressed; terminal twigs sharply pointed; colony color yellow, axis milk white............................................................................ C. boshuensis (see Kishinouye 1904; plate III, 3–4)
- Branched in one plane, tiny branchelets on the frontal side and some of them anastomose with each other; colony color red or pink, axis pink with white center........................................................ C. sulcatum (Figs. 14)
description: Published as part of Tu, Tzu-Hsuan, Dai, Chang-Feng & Jeng, Ming-Shiou, 2012, Precious corals (Octocorallia: Coralliidae) from the northern West Pacific region with descriptions of two New Species, pp. 1-17 in Zootaxa 3395 on pages 4-5, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.214095