Cladiella suezensis (Tixier-Durivault, 1944)

Lazar, Einav, Mcfadden, Catherine S., Huchon, Dorothée & Benayahu, Yehuda, 2025, Redescription of type material of the genus Cladiella Gray, 1869 (Octocorallia, Malacalcyonacea, Cladiellidae) from the Red Sea, Zootaxa 5674 (1), pp. 1-84 : 69

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5674.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FF8F0124-E9C0-45E0-9989-C0B74BF11036
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039787D2-FC1C-FF95-EDA9-FD588D8BE3B3
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Cladiella suezensis (Tixier-Durivault, 1944)
status

Treatment

Cladiella suezensis (Tixier-Durivault, 1944) View in CoL

( Figs. 41F View FIGURE 41 , 52 View FIGURE 52 & 53 View FIGURE 53 )

Lobularia suezensis Tixier-Durivault, 1944a: 344-345 View in CoL ; Tixier-Durivault 1948: 165–172, Figs. 161–167.

? Alcyonium sphaerophorum var. littoralis Thorpe, 1928 . p. 497, pl. 31, Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ; pl. 34, Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 (Wooded Island, Australia).

Material examined. Syntypes. MNHN-IK-2000-41 Suez Canal, Red Sea, 1878, coll. M. Letourneux; MNHN-IK-2000-40, same details MNHN-IK-2000-41 .

Description. Syntype. MNHN-IK-2000-41 fragment of a colony with a maximum cross-section of 23 x 19 mm and its elongated lobes and lobules are tightly packed ( Fig. 41F View FIGURE 41 ). The polyps are retracted and only the tips of some tentacles appear on the lobe surface.

The sclerome of the polyps comprises platelets, some figure-eights, rods, and a few cross-shaped, 0.04–0.07 mm long ( Fig. 52A View FIGURE 52 ). Their lateral outline may have a median constriction. The surface has a distinct cristate-like texture. The sclerites of the surface layer of the lobes are variable in shape ( Fig. 52B View FIGURE 52 ) and comprise poorly developed dumbbells, 0.07–0.10 mm long, ornamented with rounded tubercles. Some of them have a very few rounded tubercles and feature a complex cristate-like surface. The dumbbells from the interior of the lobes are 0.08–0.11 mm long and their bare waist is 0.02–0.04 mm wide and 0.02–0.03 mm long ( Fig. 52C View FIGURE 52 ). These sclerites feature at either end sparse rounded and blunt-ended conical tubercles. The sclerites of the surface layer of the base comprise elongated poorly developed dumbbells and some are rod-like, measuring 0.06–0.10 mm long ( Fig. 53A View FIGURE 53 ). These sclerites are ornamented with rounded or low pointed conical tubercles. The dumbbells from the interior of the base are 0.08–0.11 mm long, their bare waist is 0.02–0.03 mm wide and 0.01–0.02 mm long ( Fig. 53B View FIGURE 53 ). Their rounded and blunt-ended conical tubercles are asymmetrically distributed on both ends of these dumbbells.

Color. The ethanol preserved syntype MNHN-IK-2000-41 is beige-brown.

Remarks. In general, the current examination of the syntype of C. suezensis corresponds to the amended description by Tixier-Durivault (1948). The poorly developed dumbbells of the surface of the lobes ( Fig. 52B View FIGURE 52 ) are narrow and feature a unique morphology of sparse rounded tubercles with a complex cristate-like surface. Similarly, the narrow and poorly developed dumbbells of the surface of the colony base are suggested to be diagnostic for this species. In addition, the dumbbells from the interior of the lobes and the base feature asymmetrically distributed, pointed conical tubercles. All of these characters are suggested to be diagnostic for C. suezensis . Syntype MNHN- IK-2000-40 (not shown) resembles the other syntype described above, except for its size. The exact collection site of the syntype in the Red Sea is not provided in the original description. Alcyonium sphaerophorum var. littoralis Thorpe, 1928 from Wooded Is., Australia was considered by Tixier-Durivault (1948: 165) to be a synonym of C. suezensis . However, this assumption requires future examination of the relevant material.

Distribution. Red Sea.