Litophyton sanctuaryensis Van 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Van Ofwegen, Leen P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Cnidaria
Anthozoa
Alcyonacea
Nephtheidae
Litophyton
Litophyton sanctuaryensis

description: Litophyton sanctuaryensis sp. nov.
(Figs. 85 e-f, 97b-c, 99-102)
Material examined. Holotype NTM C1387, Queensland, Central reef, coll. P. Alderslade; paratypes: NTM C 1388- 89, same data as holotype; NTM C 1464-65, Queensland, Swain reefs, Sweet-lip, 15 November 1980, coll. P. Alderslade; NTM C1472, Queensland, Sanctuary reef, 15 November 1980, coll. P. Alderslade; NTM C 2293-95, Queensland, Swain reefs, Blue-Lion reef, 8 November 1980, coll. P. Alderslade; NTM C3984, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Davies reef, depth 5-10 m, 16 April 1981, coll. Z. Dinesen; NTM C4032, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Davies reef, depth 1-5 m, 16 April 1981, coll. Z. Dinesen; NTM C4383, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, John Brewer reef, reef flat, 8 February 1981, coll. Z. Dinesen; NTM C10459, Great Barrier Reef, Cockburn reef, 10 December 1990, coll. P. Alderslade.
Description. The holotype is 7.5 cm high and 6.5 cm wide, the stalk is 3 cm long (Fig. 97b). The polyps are up to 0.7 mm wide and high, grouped in conical catkins.
Polyps. With irregular arrangement of sclerites in eight points (Fig. 85e). Abaxially and lateral point sclerites are spindles with simple tubercles and spines, abaxially up to 0.45 mm long (Fig. 99a). Laterally they are up to 0.25 mm long (Fig. 99b). Adaxially there are small, curved rods and scales, up to 0.10 mm long, similar to those of the tentacles (Fig. 99c). The polyp stalk has straight rods, up to 0.10 mm long (Fig. 99d). Supporting bundle not projecting or slightly so, composed of spindles, up to 1 mm long, with simple tubercles and one spiny end (Fig. 99e).
Surface layer top stalk. Capstans, derivatives of capstans, spindles, and unilaterally spinose spindles, all with simple and complex tubercles (Fig. 99 f-g). The spines of the spinose sclerites are very long. Capstans 0.05-0.20 mm long; spindles up to about 0.50 mm long.
Surface layer base stalk. Capstans, derivatives of capstans, spindles, and unilaterally spinose spindles, all with simple and complex tubercles (Fig. 99h, 100a). The spines of the spinose sclerites are very long. Capstans 0.05-0.20 mm long; spindles up to about 0.50 mm long.
Interior stalk. Spindles, up to 1.3 mm long, with simple and complex tubercles (Fig. 100d). These spindles are unbranched, branched, or with side branches. The spindles have pointed ends, one pointed and one blunt end or two blunt ends (Fig. 100 b-c). Especially the smaller spindles are heavily branched.
Etymology. Named after a paratype locality, Sanctuary reef.
Distribution. Great Barrier Reef: Sanctuary reef, Blue-Lion reef, Davies reef, Sweet-lip reef, John Brewer reef, Cockburn reef.
Remarks. NTM C4383 (Fig. 97c) showed some ovals in the polyp stalk (Fig. 101d), similar to L. burfordensis sp. nov. (Northern Territory) and L. mollis (Macfadyen, 1936). L. burfordensis differs in having many rather smooth spindles in the interior of the base of the stalk. L. mollis in having only pointed spindles in the interior of the base of the stalk and less developed point sclerites. Both have many more ovals in the polyp stalk than NTM C4383.
NTM C1464 has different interior stalk sclerites, more like those of L. swainensis sp. nov. (see below) but the colony is only a few cm high with hardly any stalk and therefore is included here together with NTM C1465 from the same collection effort.
L. debilis (Kükenthal, 1895) (Ternate) (Figs. 69e, 77) resembles this species but has the larger interior stalk spindles also with side branches.
In group V also L. folium sp. nov and L. verrucosum sp. nov. have sclerites with long spines. For the differences between the three species see L. folium.
description: Published as part of Van Ofwegen, Leen P., 2020, The genus Litophyton Forskål, 1775 (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea: Nephtheidae) from Australia, pp. 1-131 in Zootaxa 4764 (1) on pages 118-122, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4764.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3764923