identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
03B687F9A45CFFE517DB53DA4E5CF9A4.text	03B687F9A45CFFE517DB53DA4E5CF9A4.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Parasphaerasclera McFadden & Ofwegen 2013	<div><p>Genus Parasphaerasclera McFadden &amp; Ofwegen, 2013</p><p>Type species. Alcyonium rotiferum Thomson, 1910 by original designation. Diagnosis. As for the family.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A45CFFE517DB53DA4E5CF9A4	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A45CFFE517DB529F4F01FA53.text	03B687F9A45CFFE517DB529F4F01FA53.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Parasphaerascleridae McFadden & Ofwegen 2013	<div><p>Family Parasphaerascleridae McFadden &amp; Ofwegen, 2013</p><p>Diagnosis. Soft corals with a digitiform, digitate or lobate growth form. Usually with a bare stalk, which can be indistinct. Polyps monomorphic, retractile, producing small, coenenchymal mounds when retracted. Permanent calyces absent. Sclerites of colony surface and interior predominantly radiates and/or tuberculate spheroids, occasionally along with rodlets and crosses. Sclerites permanently coloured. Polyp sclerites absent. Azooxanthellate. (adapted from McFadden &amp; Ofwegen 2013).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A45CFFE517DB529F4F01FA53	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A45CFFE017DB50F44FB6FAFB.text	03B687F9A45CFFE017DB50F44FB6FAFB.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Parasphaerasclera grayi (Thomson & Dean 1931) Thomson & Dean 1931	<div><p>Parasphaerasclera grayi (Thomson &amp; Dean, 1931) new record</p><p>(Figs. 2A,B, 3, 4; Tabs. 1, 2)</p><p>Nidalia grayi Thomson &amp; Dean, 1931: 37, Pl. 2, Fig. 2.</p><p>Eleutherobia grayi Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988: 33 –34, Figs. 24, 25; Williams 2001: 210–216, Figs. 1–10. Benayahu et al. 2004: 550 (recorded only); Dautova &amp; Savinkin 2009: 4 –10, Figs. 3–7.</p><p>Parasphaerasclera grayi McFadden &amp; Ofwegen 2013: 70, 71, 78.</p><p>Material examined. WAM Z54774, six whole specimens, Station 69/K11, unnamed outcrop NW Black Rocks, close to White Island, NW Australia, 14.9741° S, 124.3974° E, SCUBA, depth 12 m, coll. M. Bryce, 17 October 2011.</p><p>Description. In total six upright, unbranched colonies were collected. They are digitiform, symmetrical with a wide base tapering distally towards the rounded apex of the polyparium (Fig. 2A,B) and were always growing in pairs, arising from a common, polyp-free, one mm thick, encrusting holdfast. The colonies vary in size, but are in general very similar in shape, colour, arrangement of polyps and sclerite composition. The polyp-free basal portion of each colony is very short and occupies only 10 % of the total colony length. Polyps are monomorphic, large, retractile, quite numerous, evenly distributed over the colony and are translucent when fully extended and the coenenchymal mounds associated with the polyps are narrow. Pair one consists of one colony that is 31 mm in total length, with an apex 4 mm in diameter and a base 10 mm in diameter, together with a smaller colony that is 5 mm in total length with an apex 4 mm in diameter and a base 9 mm in diameter. Pair two consists of one colony that is 25 mm in total length, with an apex 5 mm in diameter and a base 10 mm in diameter, together with a smaller colony that is 13 mm in total length with an apex 3 mm in diameter and a base 6 mm in diameter. Pair three consists of one colony that is 19 mm in total length, with an apex 5 mm in diameter and a base 8 mm in diameter, together with a smaller colony that is 9 mm in total length with an apex 5 mm in diameter and a base 7 mm in diameter.</p><p>In the surface of the polyparium, including the coenenchymal mounds, the majority of sclerites are 6, 7- and 8- radiates and rodlets 0.04–0.08 mm long and crosses 0.03–0.07 mm in diameter (Fig. 3). The smaller radiates are tuberculate capstan-like forms and the longer rodlets are essentially 8-radiates with more distant prominences and a smooth, often long, shaft.</p><p>The stalk surface is densely spiculated with irregular radiates 0.05–0.08 mm long, crosses 0.05–0.08 mm long and rodlets (Fig. 4 A).</p><p>The interior sclerites of the polypary are 6- and 7-radiate capstans 0.04–0.09 mm long, crosses 0.06–0.09 mm in diameter, and elongated rod-like sclerites 0.10–0.11 mm long (Fig. 4 B). The interior of the stalk coenenchyme is populated with sclerites consisting of rod-like forms 0.10–0.11 mm long with a smooth shaft and large warty prominences, and robust crosses around 0.09 mm in diameter are also occasionally present (Fig. 4 C).</p><p>Polyp sclerites are absent.</p><p>Colour. In situ the colonies were uniformly bright rusty orange with small, bright, light orange, rounded coenenchymal mounds. The polyp-free encrusting holdfast was uniformly rusty red. The polyps were transparent with bright white tentacles. The colour did not change on deck or in alcohol. In preserved specimens the surface and internal coenenchymal sclerites are brownish dark red to pale-ochre, the sclerites of the polyp mounds are paleochre, and the interior coenenchyme is pink.</p><p>Habitat. Steep, forward reef slope extending up to the reef crest at 14 metres. On the crest of the slope were small coral outcrops and the underlying base rock was covered with encrusting corals and soft coral communities, dominated by Sinularia and Sarcophyton as well as several species of gorgonian. The slope was dissected by narrow surge grooves with vertical sides marked by caves and ledges extending to 20 metres. A small group of Parasphaerasclera grayi colonies was found attached to the wall in an overhang at 12 metres depth amongst other scattered soft corals.</p><p>Remarks. This species has a wide distribution in the Indo-Pacific region, but it is a new record in Australia (Table 1). More recently Benayahu et al. (2004) reported P. grayi as a new record from Taiwan, and in 2013 it was collected by WAM from Christmas Island (Richards, unpublished). McFadden &amp; Ofwegen (2013) described material from Palau as P. aff. grayi and also discussed in detail the high variability of shape and size of the sclerites of specimens of P. grayi that have been described in the literature, stating the possibility that multiple species might be involved. They also pointed out the similarities between their P. aff. grayi and the P. grayi of Williams (2001) from the Solomon Islands, as well as the differences between their material and the P. grayi from Vietnam described by Dautova &amp; Savinkin (2009) and the lectotype of P. grayi described by Verseveldt &amp; Bayer’s (1988). Specimens from Palau and the Solomon Islands have tuberculated rods that lack a smooth waist. Our material agrees best with the well-illustrated and detailed re-description of the Vietnamese material and with the description of the lectotype based on the presence of distinctive smooth rod-like forms.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A45CFFE017DB50F44FB6FAFB	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A459FFEF17DB534F4914FCB4.text	03B687F9A459FFEF17DB534F4914FCB4.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Parasphaerasclera kimberleyensis	<div><p>Parasphaerasclera kimberleyensis sp. nov.</p><p>(Figs. 2 C–E, 5, 6; Tabs. 1, 2)</p><p>Material examined. Holotype: WAM Z59789, Station 44/K10, Long Reef, northern Kimberley, NW Australia, 13.88867° S, 125.74942° E, SCUBA, depth 10 m, coll. M. Bryce, 20 October 2010. Paratype: WAM Z67195, 1 specimen, same data as the holotype.</p><p>Description. The holotype is a digitiform colony, with a wide base, which tapers distally towards the rounded apex of the polyparium (Fig. 2 C–D). It is 15 mm tall, 2 mm in diameter at the apex and 4 mm in diameter across the holdfast. The colony has no real stalk as polyps occur almost to the very base. The polyp-free basal portion occupies less than 20 % of the total colony length. The polyps are rather sparse and evenly distributed. They are monomorphic, large, and when completely retracted, leave a prominent coenenchymal mound on the surface of the polyparium. All polyps are tightly retracted—as they were at the time of collection—and occupy most of the interior of the polyparium.</p><p>The majority of the sclerites from the upper part of the polyparium are tuberculate capstans, some slightly club-shaped, 0.05–0.13 mm long (Fig. 5), along with crosses 0.06–0.08 mm diameter and a few rodlets (see Fig. 5 a). An apparent triradiate sclerite (see Fig. 5 b) has been included to point out where errors are possible, as this is actually the broken end of a sclerite with the fracture side down. The authors believe that the sclerites shown in Fig. 24b–f for E. grayi in Versevedt &amp; Bayer (1987), especially d–f, are most probably of this nature.</p><p>The sclerites of the coenenchymal mounds of P. kimberlyensis n. sp. are similarly shaped to those of the polyparium. There are no sclerites in the interior of the polyparium.</p><p>The base of the colony is densely spiculated with small radiates and tuberculate rods 0.02–0.10 mm long (Fig. 6 A). Rare clubs 0.08–0.13 mm long are also represented in the base of the colony (see Fig. 6 Aa). The interior of the base is less densely populated with sclerites, and contains mainly spindles, clubs and irregular forms 0.04–0.15 mm long (Fig. 6 B). Crosses 0.09 mm in diameter are also present in the interior of the base (see Fig. 6 Bb). The tubercles of all sclerites are ornamented with granules that tend to be elongate and arranged in rows or united to form ridges. This is most obvious in the interior stalk sclerites. Polyp sclerites are absent.</p><p>Colour. In situ the colonies were uniformly bright yellow-orange with bright red rounded coenenchymal mounds. The polyp-free base was uniformly bright yellow and the polyps were white. The colour did not change on deck or in alcohol. In preserved specimens the surface and internal coenenchymal sclerites are pale-yellow to colourless, the sclerites of the polyp mounds are red, and the interior coenenchyme is white.</p><p>Etymology. Named for the type locality, Kimberley, Western Australia.</p><p>Habitat. A steep and fractured fore-reef slope with a near vertical wall ascending from 20 metres to a depth of 4 metres. The wall is heavily pocketed with small caves and deep, steep-sided fissures. At 20 metres there are large rocky outcrops forming long reef-gullies, which are almost devoid of life, probably due to the heavy siltation. Sediment between the rocky outcrops is very fine and smothering. The Parasphaerasclera kimberleyensis colonies were found in a small group attached to the wall in an overhang at ten metres depth amongst other scattered soft corals.</p><p>Variability. The paratype is very similar to the holotype in shape, colour, arrangement of polyps and sclerite composition, but is smaller. It is also digitiform, with a wider base and tapering distally towards the rounded apex of the polyparium. It is 9 mm tall, 3 mm in diameter at the apex and 4 mm in diameter across the holdfast (Fig. 2 E).</p><p>Remarks. Parasphaerasclera kimberleyensis sp. nov. does not demonstrate a close resemblance to any currently described species within the genus. Morphologically, it is distinguished by the shape of the colony and the shape and colour of the sclerites, and also by the colony colour, the bright yellow colony being offset by the bright red polyp mounds,,but there is some superficial resemblance to P. zanahoria (Williams, 2000), which was originally described from Tonga in the South Pacific. More recently P. zanahoria was recorded from the Great Barrier Reef by one of us (Alderslade, unpublished). Like P. kimberleyensis sp. nov., P. zanahoria, which is uniformly orange, is characterised by having some sclerites in the form of large crosses, but in that species the crosses have finely tapered and acutely tipped rays. In comparison P. kimberleyensis sp. nov. has crosses with thorny, rounded rays, and, in addition, all the radiates are distinctly more thorny than those in P. zanahoria .</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A459FFEF17DB534F4914FCB4	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A456FFEF17DB55E24D32FB2C.text	03B687F9A456FFEF17DB55E24D32FB2C.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Alcyoniidae Lamouroux 1812	<div><p>Family Alcyoniidae Lamouroux, 1812</p><p>Diagnosis. Membranous or more or less fleshy, massive colonies. The latter with a basal part, the stalk, and a distal part bearing the anthocodiae, the polyparium. Sclerites are often less than one mm long, but they can be over 10 mm. They include spindles, clubs, radiates, and double heads. Polyps monomorphic or dimorphic and the autozooids are retractile. This family has a more or less global distribution. It is especially speciose in the Indo- Pacific, but so far absent in the shallow waters of the tropical western Atlantic (Williams 2003; Fabricius &amp; Alderslade 2001).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A456FFEF17DB55E24D32FB2C	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A456FFEF17DB530D4822F95D.text	03B687F9A456FFEF17DB530D4822F95D.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Eleutherobia Putter 1900	<div><p>Genus Eleutherobia Pütter, 1900</p><p>Type species. Eleutherobia japonica Pütter, 1900 by monotypy; = E. rigida (Pütter, 1900) .</p><p>Diagnosis. Colonies usually small when contracted with symmetrical, conical to cylindrical polyparium, but branched, lobate, or clavate growth forms may occur. Polyps are monomorphic with large anthocodiae, which are retractile into low rounded to conspicuous coenenchymal mounds. The polyp-free basal portion is usually short, but can occupy up to half of the colony. Found mostly in deep water or restricted to caves and overhangs in shallow waters, and often in small groups. Sclerites include radiates, capstans, double heads, spindles, spheroids; rod-like forms or crosses are sometimes present. Anthocodial sclerites present, arranged in points or collaret and points (McFadden &amp; Ofwegen 2013; Fabricius &amp; Alderslade 2001; Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A456FFEF17DB530D4822F95D	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A456FFED17DB50DF4E17F968.text	03B687F9A456FFED17DB50DF4E17F968.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Eleutherobia australiensis	<div><p>Eleutherobia australiensis sp. nov.</p><p>(Figs. 7A–C, 8, 9; Tabs. 1, 2)</p><p>Material examined. Holotype: WAM Z31488, one sectioned colony, Station PF06/S1-200/R 2, 190 km NW of Dampier, Pluto Gas Field, NW Australia, 19.9352°– 19.9308°S, 115.3261°– 115.3288° E, epibenthic sled, depth, 200 m, coll. B.F. Cohen, 8 December 2005. Paratype: WAM Z66778, one whole specimen, same data as holotype.</p><p>Description. The holotype is a tapering digitiform colony, with a small lobe (Fig. 7A–C) and it is attached to a piece of hard coral skeleton. It is 50 mm tall, 4 mm in diameter at the apex and 10 mm in diameter across the holdfast. The polyp-free basal portion is very short and occupies only 10 % of the total colony length (Fig. 7A). Polyps are large, monomorphic, evenly distributed over the polyparium and are completely retracted leaving distinct, rounded coenenchymal mounds on the surface.</p><p>In the surface of the polyparium the majority of the sclerites are spindles, 0.10–0.35 mm long, with pointed ends, and ovals 0.08–0.22 mm long (Fig. 8 A). Sclerites of the coenenchymal mounds are small, spindle-like bodies 0.10–0.15 mm long (Fig. 8 B). The sclerites of the interior coenenchyme of the polyparium are few, being, thin spindles up to 0.4 mm long (Fig. 8 C).</p><p>The stalk surface is densely spiculated mainly with warty ovals, short, plump spindles 0.10–0.30 mm long with tapering ends and some irregular bodies (Fig. 9 A). The sclerites of the interior coenenchyme of the stalk are thin spindles, 0.10–0.35 mm long, plump spindles, 0.10–0.25 mm long, with the ends tapering to a point and a few irregular, somewhat triangular forms of similar size (Fig. 9 B). All of the above sclerites have high, prickly, complex warts</p><p>The armature of the polyps consists of a collaret eight to ten rows deep and points of six to eight pairs of curved flattened spindles 0.25–0.45 mm long (Fig. 8 D). The tentacles contain spikey rods up to 0.07 mm long (Fig. 8 E; only smaller sclerites up to 0.05 mm are figured due to SEM preparation difficulties). No introvert sclerites are present.</p><p>Colour. The preserved colonies are light grey with small orange, rounded coenenchymal mounds. The wider, polyp-free encrusting base is uniformly light grey. The interior coenenchyme is light brown. Surface and internal coenenchymal sclerites are colourless, while the sclerites of the coenenchymal mounds are pale-ochre to reddish.</p><p>Etymology. The species is named for being collected in Australia.</p><p>Habitat. The specimens were sampled from 200 m along the continental slope utilising an epibenthic sled, but the exact habitat is unknown.</p><p>Variability. The paratype is digitiform, with a wide base, and tapering distally towards the rounded apex of the polyparium. It is 45 mm in total length and 3 mm in diameter at the apex. The holdfast is laterally flattened, 15 mm wide and 4 mm thick. The specimen is attached to a piece of hard coral skeleton.</p><p>Remarks. The new species is characterised by coenenchymal mounds which are orange because of the coloured sclerites, anthocodial armature of flattened spindles, distinct oval sclerites and long warty spindles in the polyparium surface, and the occurrence of plump spindles with tapered, pointed ends in the lower part of the colony. The ovals and the plump, tapering spindles found in the new species are very like those found in E. dofleini (Kükenthal, 1906), however, in that species these sclerites occur in both the lower and upper parts of the colony. Also, the shape of the colony is very different (see Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988: Fig. 19 a) and the warts on the sclerites are lower and far less prickly.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A456FFED17DB50DF4E17F968	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A454FFE917DB50C04EB0FAFA.text	03B687F9A454FFE917DB50C04EB0FAFA.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Eleutherobia imaharai	<div><p>Eleutherobia imaharai sp. nov.</p><p>(Figs. 7 D; 10, 11; Tabs. 1, 2)</p><p>Material examined. WAM Z13252, one whole specimen, Station 1031302, North West Cape, 190 km north west of Dampier, NW Australia, 21.2802° S, 114.0606° E, epibenthic sled, depth 200–250 m, coll. AIMS NW Cape survey, 13 March 2001.</p><p>Description. The colony is essentially two digitiform lobes with an irregular surface, arising from a common base, each slightly tapering to a rounded summit (Fig 7 D). The largest lobe is about 4 mm wide at its base and projects 16 mm above the holdfast, and the smaller lobe extends 3 mm from the base of the larger lobe before it bends upwards and extends a further 9 mm. The aspect of the holdfast seen in Fig. 7 D is about 15 mm wide. Apart from the holdfast, the numerous monomorphic polyps are evenly distributed over most of the colony, and they are all retracted within low to moderate coenenchymal mounds.</p><p>In the surface of the polyparium the sclerites include spindles, up to 0.29 mm long, with acute ends, and ovals 0.08–0.16 mm long; some of latter may have very large, complex warts and one or two sharply tapering ends (Fig. 10 A). The sclerites of the interior of the polyparium are markedly narrow, acute spindles 0.20–0.40 mm long (Fig. 10 B).</p><p>The polyp armature is formed of slightly curved spindles 0.20–0.55 mm long (Fig. 10 C). The collaret is about eight to ten rows deep and the points contain five to six pairs of obliquely arranged sclerites. The tentacles contain densely packed rods with a curved end (Fig. 10 D). They are up to 0.30 mm long, their length becoming smaller towards the tentacle tip, and they are obliquely arranged in two rows covering the aboral and lateral faces of the tentacles (Fig. 10 F). The pinnules contain a few small spindles, up to 0.12 mm long, with relatively simple tubercles (Figs. 10 E, F(arrowed)). A few introvert spindles of a similar size and shape as the pinnule sclerites are also present.</p><p>The surface of the common base is densely spiculated, mainly with warty ovals, 0.10–0.20 mm long (Fig. 11 A). Short, plump spindle-like forms, up to 0.25 mm in length, with sharply tapering ends are also present at the surface of the base, as are a few crosses and capstans (see Fig. 11 Aa). The majority of the sclerites in the interior of the common base are spindles up to 0.30 mm long, which commonly have one or both ends acute (Fig. 11 B). Ovals and a few irregular forms of similar size, that may have pointed processes, also occur.</p><p>Colour. The preserved colony has a cream interior and exterior and the sclerites are colourless.</p><p>Habitat. The specimens were sampled from a muddy-rubble environment between 200–250 m depth along the continental slope utilising an epibenthic sled.</p><p>Remarks. The sclerites of the surface and interior of the new species are of the same form as those of Eleutherobia dofleini as described and illustrated by Verseveldt &amp; Bayer (1988: 29, Figs. 19, 20), by Imahara et al. (2014: 89, Figs. 24, 25) in their new book on the octocorals of Sagami Bay, and to a lesser extent by Utinomi (1954: 45, Fig. 2) when describing colonies collected off Minabe. However, the colony form of E. dofleini, which is only known from Sagami Bay to Tosa Bay, Japan, is quite different to that of the new species, having a narrow, commonly branched polypary that generally has pronounced polyp mounds of sufficient size to be termed “Kelche” or “Polypenkelche” by Kükenthal and “calyces” by Imahara et al. and Verseveldt &amp; Bayer. There is also a difference in the polyp body armature of the new species. The latter lacks any intermediate sclerites between the points while E. dofleini has two (Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988: Fig. 20 A1).</p><p>In order to check the exact nature of the sclerites from the tentacles and the interior of the polypary in E. dofleini, neither of which were figured by Verseveldt &amp; Bayer, we approached Dr Leen van Ofwegen, the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden and Dr Yukimitsu Imahara, Biological Institute of Kuroshio, for assistance. Dr van Ofwegen kindly examined the microscope slides used by Verseveldt and Bayer (1988) but found that there were no preparations present of either character. Dr Imahara examined Utinomi’s specimen of E.dofleini from Tanabe Bay, Kii Pininsula, Japan (Utinomi 1960) and found that the tentacles contain small, somewhat scale-like, curved, flattened spindles with scalloped edges and not curved bars as in the tentacles of the new species, and that the sclerites of the interior of the polypary are not at all long and thin but are shorter and somewhat stouter, like those illustrated in Fig. 25C of the new book on Sagami Bay (Imahara et al. 2014). He also confirmed the difference in colony form by sending an image of colony ZMB 6524 labelled “ Nidalia dofleini Kük. Type ” (see Fig. 7 E) and added the information that the pinnule sclerites of a colony from Tanabe Bay used by Utinomi (1960) are slender rods that are quite unlike those of the new species.</p><p>Etymology. It is with pleasure that we name this new species after our colleague, Dr Yukimitsu Imahara, in recognition of his assistance with our enquiries regarding E. dofleini, his continuing work on Japanese octocorals, and especially the publication (with Drs Fumihito Iwase &amp; Hiroshi Namikawa) of the extremely valuable book on the Sagami Bay representatives of this faunal group.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A454FFE917DB50C04EB0FAFA	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A450FFF217DB53B24EA2FE1B.text	03B687F9A450FFF217DB53B24EA2FE1B.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Eleutherobia somaliensis Verseveldt & Bayer 1988	<div><p>Eleutherobia somaliensis Verseveldt &amp; Bayer, 1988 new record</p><p>(Fig. 7 F; 12; Tabs. 1, 2)</p><p>Eleutherobia somaliensis Verseveldt &amp; Bayer, 1988: 39 –40, Figs. 18 g,h; 33b; 34.</p><p>Material examined. WAM Z31487, two whole specimens, grooved, digitate, 25 and 41 mm tall, Station PF06/S1- 200/R 2, 190 km NW of Dampier, Pluto Gas Field, NW Australia, 19.9308°– 19.9352° S, 115.2261°– 115.2288° E, epibenthic sled, depth 200 m, coll. B.F. Cohen, 8 December 2005; WAM Z12201, one whole specimen, branched with two side branchlets, 65 mm tall, Station 1031302, North West Cape, 21.4666° S, 114.1016° E, epibenthic sled, depth 200–250 m, coll. AIMS North West Cape survey, 13 March 2001.</p><p>Description. Two of the colonies are unbranched, and the third is branched. The colonies are stiff, grooved, with a wider base and taper distally towards the rounded apex of the cylindrical polyparium (Fig. 7 F). The colonies are between 25–65 mm tall, 3 mm in diameter at the apex and between 6–11 mm in diameter across the holdfast. No distinct stalk is present. Polyps are monomorphic, numerous and mostly irregularly distributed over the colony. In some areas of the base the polyps are arranged in longitudinal rows, in other places they are absent. In the preserved specimens all polyp bodies are retracted.</p><p>The sclerites in the surface of the polyparium (Fig. 12 A) are mostly 8-radiate derivatives, between 0.08–0.10 mm long, with a medial waist, the larger ones approaching clubs, together with some longer spindles up to 0.38 mm long. The sclerites of the interior of the polyparium are spindles and needles, 0.23–0.50 mm long, (Fig. 12 B). The surface of the base is densely spiculated with small rods and crosses, 8-radiate derivatives, sub-spheroidal forms and plump spindles with sharply tapering ends. The sclerites are about 0.10-0.2 mm long (Fig. 12 C). The sclerites in the interior of the base are warty spindles up to 0.20-0.30 mm long (Fig. 12 D). They are similar to the sclerites in the interior of the polyparium, but are slightly shorter and wider. All of the polyparium and basal sclerites have very prickly warts.</p><p>The polyp armature consists of crown and points and is formed of slightly spiny spindles around 0.03 mm long (Fig. 12 E). The tentacles contain flattened sclerites, the larger ones curved, up to 0.25 mm long (Fig. 12 F).</p><p>Species Distribution Depth (m) Source Literature</p><p>Alcyonium Linnaeus, 1758</p><p>studeri (Thomson, 1910) South Africa 42–121 Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988; Williams 1992; Williams &amp; Little 2001;</p><p>Williams 2003</p><p>variabile (Thomson, 1921) South Africa 13–468 Williams 1986; Williams 1992; Williams 2003</p><p>Eleutherobia Pütter, 1900</p><p>australiensis sp. nov. NWAustralia 200</p><p>dofleini (Kükenthal, 1906) Japan 69–250 Kükenthal, 1906; Thomson &amp; Dean 1931; Utinomi 1954; Utinomi 1957; Williams 2003; Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988; Imahara et al. 2014</p><p>imaharai sp. nov. NWAustralia 200–250</p><p>duriuscula (Thomson &amp; Dean, 1931) Indonesia 69–204 Thomson &amp; Dean 1931; Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988; Williams 2003</p><p>flava (Nutting, 1912) Japan 174 Nutting 1912; Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988; Williams 2003; Imahara et</p><p>al 2014</p><p>grandiflora (Kükenthal, 1906) Japan shallow Kükenthal 1906; Utinomi 1957; Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988; Williams</p><p>2003</p><p>rigida (Pütter, 1900) Japan 24–150 Utinomi 1954; Utinomi 1957; Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988; Williams</p><p>2003; Imahara et al. 2014</p><p>rubra (Brundin, 1896) Japan; USA; NW Australia 80–128 Thomson &amp; Dean 1931; Utinomi 1957; Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988;</p><p>Williams 2003</p><p>somaliensis Verseveldt &amp; Bayer, 1988 Somalia; NWAustralia (NR) 70–200 Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988; Williams 2003</p><p>splendens (Thomson &amp; Dean, 1931) Indonesia; Philippines; Australia 204–511 Thomson &amp; Dean, 1931; Verseveldt &amp; Bayer 1988; Williams 2003</p><p>(NR)</p><p>……continued on the next page TABLE 2. Morphological comparison of the Western Australian digitate and capitate species of Parasphaerasclera, Eleutherobia, Sphaerasclera and Paraminabea .</p><p>Plump spindles with sharply tapering ends. N.R.: new record; Sp. nov: new species.</p><p>Species Status in Colour in EtOH Growth form Introvert Collaret Tentacle Polyparium Polyparium Stalk Base</p><p>Australia sclerites sclerites sclerites surface (mm) interior (mm) surface (mm) interior (mm)</p><p>Parasphaerasclera</p><p>Colour. The preserved colonies are uniformly cream.</p><p>Habitat. The specimens were sampled from a depth range between 200–250 m along the continental slope utilising an epibenthic sled, but the exact habitat is unknown.</p><p>Remarks. Eleutherobia somaliensis has only been described from off the coast of Somalia, Africa (Table 1), and this is the first record for Australia. Although Verseveldt &amp; Bayer’s (1988) original description of the holotype did not include illustrations of the sclerites from the polyps or the interior of the base, we think the sclerites of our specimens bear a very close resemblance to those that were illustrated and to the descriptions of those that were not. The notable differences are the more prickly nature of the sclerite warting and the lack of well defined 8- radiates as shown in Verseveldt &amp; Bayer’s Fig 34a–d.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A450FFF217DB53B24EA2FE1B	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A44BFFF217DB541249CBF81A.text	03B687F9A44BFFF217DB541249CBF81A.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Eleutherobia splendens (Thomson & Dean 1931) Thomson & Dean 1931	<div><p>Eleutherobia splendens (Thomson &amp; Dean, 1931) new record</p><p>(Fig. 7 G; 13; Tabs. 1, 2)</p><p>Nidalia splendens Thomson &amp; Dean, 1931: 38, Pl. 1, Fig. 7; Pl. 6, Fig. 9; Pl. 25, Fig. 8. Eleutherobia splendens Verseveldt &amp; Bayer, 1988: 40 –41, Figs. 18 a, 33a, 35, 36c.</p><p>Material examined. WAM Z23988, two whole specimens, cylindrical, colony 1 unbranched, 45.3 mm tall, attached to a mollusc shell, colony 2 branched with three branches in one plane, 51.6 mm tall, Station SO1/84/055, Lacepede Archipelago, NW Australia, 19.9500°– 19.9833° S, 120.7338°– 120.7350° E, CSIRO FRV "Soela" cruise VI, trawl, depth 297 m, coll. S.M. Slack-Smith, 10 February 1984; WAM Z54996, one whole specimen, unbranched, 31.5 mm tall, Station SO1/84/056, Kimberley, Beagle Bay, NW Australia, 16.9297° S, 122.5411° E, CSIRO FRV "Soela" cruise VI, trawl, depth 301 m, coll. S.M. Slack-Smith, 11 February 1984. NTM C002899, one whole specimen, 19.3338° S, 115. 6836° E, FRV “Soela” cruise 0 184, trawl, depth, 306–308 m, coll. A.J. Bruce, 29 January 1984; NTM C 013059, one whole specimen, Station SS1005 130-015, off Red Bluff, 23.9908° S, 112. 3547° E, RV "Southern Surveyor", beam trawl, depth 411 m, K. Gowlett-Holmes, 8 December 2005.</p><p>Description. The colonies are erect, cylindrical, with large bodied anthocodiae up to 4 mm long (Fig. 7 G). The colonies are unbranched or branched in one plane and are up to 51.6 mm tall. Some specimens are attached to a mollusc shell.</p><p>In the surface of the polyparium the majority of the sclerites are thorny clubs, up to 0.22 mm long but mainly between 0.08–0.15 mm, with the warts below the head arranged in girdles (Fig. 13 A). There are also a few 8- radiates present. The majority of sclerites of the base are thorny 8-radiates up to about 0.10 mm long, but there are also a few larger sclerites are up to 0.16 mm that are club-shaped (13B). The sclerites of the interior of the polyparium are markedly narrow, needle-like forms, 0.34–0.47 mm long, with girdles of high spines (Fig. 13 C). The sclerites in the interior of the base are spindles up to 0.35 mm long. They are similar to the sclerites in the interior of the polyparium, but are slightly shorter and wider (Fig. 13 D).</p><p>The tentacles contain densely packed stout, flattened rods with a curved end up to 0.45 mm long (Fig. 13 E). The polyp armature is strongly developed. It consists of collaret and point and is formed of slightly curved, spiny spindles around 0.05 mm long (Fig. 13 F).</p><p>Colour. The preserved colonies are cream with the distal part of the coenenchymal mounds being sometimes of the same colour, but usually are a distinct pink to red (Fig. 7 G). The tentacles are white. The introvert contains brick-red sclerites.</p><p>Habitat. The specimens were sampled from a depth range between 297–411 m along the continental slope utilising otter and beam trawls, but the exact habitat is unknown.</p><p>Remarks. Previously this species has only been described from Indonesia and the Philippines (Table 1), making this the first record for Australia. Our specimens agree well with the holotype colony described and figured in the original report of Thomson and Dean, but it is impossible to make any worthwhile comparisons with the rest of their brief description. The notable difference between the characters of our material and the comparable features reported by those authors is the more prickly warting of the sclerites (as was the case with E. somaliensis above). Unfortunately, the redescription did not include illustrations of the polyp sclerites, so we asked Dr Leen van Ofwegen to make a comparison using Verseveldt &amp; Bayer’s microscopic slides of the holotype sclerites of E. splendens held in the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, Leiden, and he was able to confirm they are of the same form.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A44BFFF217DB541249CBF81A	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A44AFFF017DB51BC4FCCFED7.text	03B687F9A44AFFF017DB51BC4FCCFED7.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Sphaerasclera McFadden & Ofwegen 2013	<div><p>Genus Sphaerasclera McFadden &amp; Ofwegen 2013</p><p>Type species. Eleutherobia flammicerebra Williams, 2003, by original designation Diagnosis. Colonies with capitate growth form, with distinct, spherical polyparium raised on a bare stalk. Polyps are monomorphic and form rounded coenenchymal mounds over the entire surface of the capitulum. Sclerites are coloured spheroids and smaller radiates. Polyp sclerites are absent. Species are found mostly in deep water. Azooxanthellate. (adapted from McFadden &amp; Ofwegen 2013).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A44AFFF017DB51BC4FCCFED7	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A449FFF117DB57594F3FFED7.text	03B687F9A449FFF117DB57594F3FFED7.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Sphaerasclera flammicerebra (Williams 2003) Williams 2003	<div><p>Sphaerasclera flammicerebra (Williams, 2003) new record</p><p>(Fig. 7 H; 14; Tabs. 1, 2)</p><p>Eleutherobia flammicerebra Williams, 2003: 423 –434, Figs. 1 a–c, 2–8.</p><p>Sphaerasclera flammicerebra McFadden &amp; Ofwegen 2013: 66 –67, Fig. 2–3.</p><p>Material examined. WAM Z31480, three whole specimens, 21.6–26.3 mm tall, stalk length 12.0– 20.4 mm, polyparium diameter 10.2–11.2 mm, Station PF06/S1-200/R 2, 190 km NW of Dampier, Pluto Gas Field, NW Australia, 19.9352°– 19.9308° S, 115.2261°– 115.2288° E, epibenthic sled, depth 200 m, coll. B.F. Cohen, 7 December 2005; WAM Z31465, one small colony, 16.2 mm tall, stalk length 9.4 mm, polyparium diameter 7.9 mm, Station PF06/S1-200/R 2, 190 km of NW of Dampier, Pluto Gas Field, 19.9352°– 19.9308° S, 115.2261°– 115.2288° E, epibenthic sled, depth, 200 m, coll. B.F. Cohen, 7 December 2005; WAM Z13065, Station 1031302, North West Cape, 21.4672° S, 114.1016° E, epibenthic sled, depth 200–250 m, coll. P. Alderslade, J. Fromont and L.M. Marsh, 21 March 2002; WAM Z55265, one whole colony, 22.0 mm tall, stalk length 13.2mm, polyparium diameter 15.2 mm, Station SO1/84/055, Lacepede Archipelago, 19.9500°– 19.9833°S, 120.7683°– 120.7350° E, CSIRO FRV "Soela" cruise VI, trawl, depth 297 m, coll. S.M. Slack-Smith, 10 February 1984; WAM Z54995, one whole specimen, 32.4 mm tall, stalk length 20.9 mm, polyparium diameter 16.1 mm, Station SO1/84/056, Kimberley, Beagle Bay, 16.9297° S, 122.5411° E, CSIRO FRV "Soela" cruise VI, trawl, depth 301 m, coll. S.M. Slack-Smith, 1 February 1984; WAM Z55271, one whole specimen, 20.4 mm tall, stalk length 11.3 mm, polyparium diameter 14.9 mm, Station SO1/84/059, Kimberley, Beagle Bay, 15.1500°– 15.1833° S, 121.0833°– 120.0500° E, CSIRO FRV "Soela" cruise VI, trawl, depth 449 m, coll. S.M. Slack-Smith, 11 February 1984. All colonies are attached to a fragment of hard coral skeleton.</p><p>Description. All colonies are attached to hard corals and have a capitate growth form, with a rounded capitulum with a scrolled lower margin and a straight or slightly bent, distinct stalk (Fig. 7 H). The polyps are monomorphic, numerous and evenly distributed over the entire surface of the capitulum. In the preserved specimens all polyp bodies are retracted forming low, round coenenchymal mounds at the surface. The stem is polyp free. Colonies are between 16.2–32.3 mm tall and the length of the stalks ranges between 9.40–20.9 mm. The height of the polypariums range between 7.0– 11.4 mm and have diameters between 7.9–16.1 mm. The diameter of the stalks ranges at base between 6.3–13.1 mm and between 4.2–11.5 mm at the distal end.</p><p>The surface of the polyparium is densely spiculated with large tuberculated spheroids between 0.12–0.20 mm long and smaller, oval 8-radiates 0.05–0.08 mm long (Fig. 14 A). The sclerites of the interior of the polyparium are predominately round to oval-shaped tuberculated spheroids between 0.13–0.20 mm in length (Fig. 14 B). Some robust 8-radiates around 0.17 mm in length are also present. The sclerites of the surface of the base is densely spiculated with large tuberculated spheroids 0.15–0.20 mm in length, medium-sized tuberculated spheroids mainly between 0.10–0.13 mm long, and smaller, oval 8-radiates 0.05–0.08 mm long (Fig. 14 C). The sclerites in the interior of the stalk are predominately large tuberculated spheroids 0.17–0.21 mm in length and very robust radiates mainly around 0.10 mm long (14D). Polyp sclerites are absent.</p><p>Colour. The polyparium of the preserved colonies are cream to light orange with dark orange spots representing the protuberances. One colony has a uniformly light pink capitulum. The stalks are cream to orange. Sclerites are colourless and orange to around the protuberances.</p><p>Habitat. The specimens were sampled by epibenthic sled and trawl from a depth range between 200–449 m along the continental slope, but the exact habitat is unknown.</p><p>Remarks. Sphaerasclera flammicerebra (Williams, 2003) was first described from Palau, Pacific Ocean. McFadden &amp; Ofwegen (2013: 62, 66, 67, Table 1, Fig. 2, 3) included museum material of S. flammicerebra collected from New Caledonia in 2008 and Mauritius collected in 1929 in their phylogenetic and morphological analyses. This material of S. flammicerebra agrees with the original description by Williams (2003: 423–430, Fig. 1–8) in most characters. The main difference are the rather spiky 8-radiates of our material in comparison to more rounded 8-radiates of Williams (2003) material. As the colonies agree with the original description of S. flammicerebra by being monomorphic, in the absence of polyp sclerites, the size and shape of the colonies, the size and distribution of sclerites types, and the genetic similarity, we consider the difference in sclerite shape of the smaller 8-radiates as a intraspecific variation (Fig. 7, 14, 19, 20).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A449FFF117DB57594F3FFED7	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A448FFF117DB53924DA0F88C.text	03B687F9A448FFF117DB53924DA0F88C.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Paraminabea Williams & Alderslade 1999	<div><p>Genus Paraminabea Williams &amp; Alderslade, 1999</p><p>Type species. Bellonella indica Thomson &amp; Henderson, 1905 by subsequent designation (Williams &amp; Alderslade 1999).</p><p>Diagnosis. Colonies usually small, unbranched, with symmetrical, cylindrical polyparium. Growth forms such as dome-shaped, digitiform, hemispherical, or digitate-lobate can occur. Dimorphic polyps are evenly distributed over the polyparium and are devoid of sclerites. Autozoids are large and completely retractile. Siphonozooids scarce, small to minute, distributed between the autozooids. The polyp-free basal portion is variable in length.</p><p>Mostly in deep water or restricted to caves and overhangs in shallow waters. Sclerites of polyparium mostly barrels, double heads and 6- or 8-radiates. Also, radiates, tuberculate spheroids, 7-radiates or double stars and spindle-like forms derived from radiates may occur.</p><p>(Williams &amp; Alderslade 1999).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A448FFF117DB53924DA0F88C	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A447FFFC17DB56A14EFBFED6.text	03B687F9A447FFFC17DB56A14EFBFED6.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Paraminabea aldersladei (Williams 1992) Williams 1992	<div><p>Paraminabea aldersladei (Williams, 1992)</p><p>(Figs. 15A,B,C; 16A–D; Tab. 2)</p><p>Bellonella indica (non Thomson &amp; Henderson, 1905) Bayer 1974: 261; Faulkner and Chesher 1979: 267, Pl. 22; Minabea aldersladei Williams, 1992: 3 –9, Figs 1 b, 4, 5.</p><p>Material examined. WAM Z59775, five whole specimens, Station 43/K10, Long Reef, Kimberley, NW Australia, 13.92155° S, 125.73268° E, scuba, depth 12–20 m, coll. M. Bryce, 20 October 2010; WAM Z66736, six whole specimens, Station 115/K11, Heritage reef, Kimberley, NW Australia, 14.30367° S, 115.20915° E, scuba, depth 12–20 m, coll. M. Bryce, 22 September 2011; WAM Z67010, four whole specimens, Station 130/K13, Ashmore Reef, NW Australia, 12.18848° S, 123.12887° E, scuba, depth 12–20 m, coll. M. Bryce, 29 September 2013; WAM Z67106, 33 whole specimens, Station 144/K13, Hibernia Reef, NW Australia, 11.97404° S, 123.32208° E, scuba, depth 14 m, coll. M. Bryce, 5 October 2013; WAM Z67241, 24 whole specimens, Station 152/K14, Clerke Reef, NW Australia, 17.25188° S, 119.38378° E, scuba, depth 16 m, coll. M. Bryce, 3 October 2014; WAM Z67271, 1 whole specimens, Station 156/K14, Clerke Reef, NW Australia, 17.29298° S, 119.37819° E, scuba, depth 16 m, coll. M. Bryce, 5 October 2014; WAM Z67366, 1 whole specimens, Station 170/K14, Clerke Reef, NW Australia, 17.31697° S, 119.38378° E, scuba, depth 15 m, coll. M. Bryce, 10 October 2014; WAM Z67385, 1 whole specimens, Station 173/K14, Clerke Reef, NW Australia, 17.31753° S, 119.31216° E, scuba, depth 15 m, coll. M. Bryce, 11 October 2014; WAM Z67404, 2 whole specimens, Station 178/K14, Mermaid Reef, NW Australia, 17.16154° S, 119.6471° E, scuba, depth 15 m, coll. M. Bryce, 13 October 2014.</p><p>Description. All colonies are digitiform, slightly laterally flattened, tapering toward the rounded apical end and have a short, polyp-free base (Fig. 15A,B,C). They are between 10–53 mm tall, 4–18 mm in diameter at the apex and 4–25 mm in diameter across the holdfast. The polyps are dimorphic, and arranged uniformly over the surface of the colonies. In all colonies the autozooid polyps are completely retracted and surrounded by minute pores representing the siphonozooids.</p><p>Sclerites from the polyparium surface are predominantly eight radiates with double heads, that appear to be derived from 6- and 8-radiates, 0.04–0.09 mm long (Fig. 16 A). Those from the interior of the polyparium are more robust barrels and sub-sheroidal forms of similar size with a very short waist (Fig. 16 B). Sclerites from the base surface and interior are similar in shape to those of the polyparium, but slightly longer, 0.05–0.11 (Fig. 16 C,D). Polyp sclerites are absent.</p><p>Colour. The colonies were uniformly bright orange in situ, on deck and in alcohol. The polyps in the preserved specimen are cream. Sclerite colour is orange.</p><p>Habitat. Station 43/K10: steep outer reef wall descending to 20 meters where the bottom is of fine silt. From there the honeycombed wall extends upwards with encrusting corals and soft corals, which rapidly increase in coverage. Specimens of Paraminabea aldersladei were found attached to the wall between 12 and 20 metres.</p><p>Station 115/K11: fore-reef slope with a vertical wall descending down to a coral rubble bottom. The reef crest has a high diversity of hard and soft corals, sea fans, and sponges. The vertical wall has small caves and ledges with little benthic invertebrate life. Specimens of Paraminabea aldersladei were attached to the wall between 12 and 20 metres.</p><p>Station 130/K13: a very steep and fractured fore-reef slope descending to a depth of 20 metres. The slope is deeply incised with caves and small ledges which are well covered with encrusting invertebrates. The small group of Paraminabea aldersladei colonies was found attached to a wall in an overhang at 20 metres depth.</p><p>Station 144/K13: the fore - reef cemented slope consists of separate "hillocks" that are joined at the base with deep "gullies" between. There is a high diversity of soft and hard corals and an abundant occurrence of Paraminabea aldersladei . The colonies were attached to the walls under overhangs amongst other scattered soft corals.</p><p>Remarks. Paraminabea aldersladei is a well-known species from the Indo-Pacific (Williams 1992; Table 2). In Australia P. aldersladei has been reported from the Great Barrier Reef and also from the Rowley Shoals, northwestern Australia. The characters of this material agree well with the original description by Williams (1992, although no yellow colonies were encountered.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A447FFFC17DB56A14EFBFED6	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
03B687F9A445FFFA17DB57534DDAFE3E.text	03B687F9A445FFFA17DB57534DDAFE3E.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Paraminabea aldersladei Williams & Alderslade 1999	<div><p>Paraminabea cf. aldersladei Williams &amp; Alderslade, 1999</p><p>(Figs. 15 D,E,F, 17A,B; 18A,B; Tab. 2)</p><p>Material examined. WAM Z59783, five whole specimens, Station 44/K10, Long Reef, Kimberley, NW Australia, 13.92155° S, 125.73268° E, scuba, depth 10–20 m, coll. M. Bryce, 20 October 2010.</p><p>Description. The colonies are either uniformly cylindrical from the base to the apical tip or are tapering toward the rounded apical end (Fig. 15 D,E,F). They have a short, slightly laterally flattened polyp-free base. The polyps are dimorphic, and arranged uniformly over 60–90 % of the surface of the colonies. In all colonies the autozoids are completely retracted. The surface of the preserved specimens is extremely contracted and appears convoluted, which makes the siphonozooids difficult to locate. The gastric cavities of the autozooids form curved tubes (Fig. 15 F). Colonies are between 16–24 mm tall, 3–7 mm in diameter at the apex and 5–7 mm in diameter across the holdfast.</p><p>In the surface of the polyparium the sclerites are mostly 8-radiates and some cylindrical to oval forms, 0.04 to 0.09 mm long (Fig. 17 A), and in the interior the sclerites are double stars or double heads and irregular forms, some approaching crosses, from about 0.05 to 0.07 mm long (Fig. 17 B). The sclerites from the base are similar to those of the polyparium, consisting mostly of 8-radiates in the surface, from 0.06 to 0.08 mm long (Fig.18 A), and double heads or double-stars, with a long waist, together with irregular forms approaching crosses, up to 0.09 mm long, in the interior (Fig. 18 B). Polyp sclerites are absent.</p><p>Colour. The colonies were uniformly dark red in situ and on deck. In alcohol the specimens are dark orange. The polyps in the preserved specimens are cream. The colour of the sclerites is red.</p><p>Habitat. Very steep and fractured fore-reef slope ascending from 20 up to four metres depth. The slope is heavily pocketed with small caves and deep, steep-sided fissures. At 20 metres there are large rocky outcrops forming long-reef gullies, which are almost devoid of life, probably due to the heavy siltation. Sediment between the rocky outcrops is very fine and smothering. A small group of Paraminabea cf. aldersladei was found attached to the wall together with a group of Eleutherobia kimberleyensis sp. nov. in an overhang at ten meters depth amongst other scattered soft corals.</p><p>Remarks. Paraminabea cf. aldersladei has similarities to P. aldersladei, P. indica, and P. robusta . It resembles P. aldersladei in growth form, but differs in type and distribution of the sclerites. P. aldersladei is bright orange and has mainly orange 8-radiates, double-heads, robust barrels and subspheroidal forms, while this species has red sclerites consisting predominately of radiates, double heads and complex cross-like forms. Paraminabea indica differs from Paraminabea cf. aldersladei by being dichromatic, the restriction of the polyps to less than half of the colony length, and the lack of tuberculated spheroids. It also appears to be restricted to deep water. The main differences between P. cf. aldersladei and P. robusta are colour, colony length and the morphology and distribution of the siphonozooids.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B687F9A445FFFA17DB57534DDAFE3E	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Bryce, Monika;Poliseno, Angelo;Alderslade, Philip;Vargas, Sergio	Bryce, Monika, Poliseno, Angelo, Alderslade, Philip, Vargas, Sergio (2015): Digitate and capitate soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyoniidae) from Western Australia with reports on new species and new Australian geographical records. Zootaxa 3963 (2): 160-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.2.2
