Cladiella kuekenthali ( Tixier-Durivault, 1942 )

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 : 44-48

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5674.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FF8F0124-E9C0-45E0-9989-C0B74BF11036
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16982492
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039787D2-FC73-FFFE-EDA9-FA828D8BE305
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Cladiella kuekenthali ( Tixier-Durivault, 1942 )
status

Treatment

Cladiella kuekenthali ( Tixier-Durivault, 1942)

( Figs. 28B View FIGURE 28 , 31 View FIGURE 31 & 32 View FIGURE 32 )

Lobularia Kükenthali Tixier-Durivault, 1942: 138–143 View in CoL , Figs. 1–5 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 ; Tixier-Durivault 1944a: 188; Tixier-Durivault 1948: 185– 189, Figs. 179–183 (re-description).

Not Alcyonium digitulatum Stiasny, 1937: 392 View in CoL .

Material examined. Holotype. MNHN-IK-2000-385, Red Sea, coll. H. Michelin.

Description. The holotype is a fragment of a lobate colony with a cross-section of 34 x 29 mm attached to a piece of calcareous substrate ( Fig. 28B View FIGURE 28 ). The laterally flattened lobes feature an irregular outline and the retracted polyps appear as small pits on their surface.

The sclerome of the polyps comprises elongated platelets, 0.04–0.07 mm long. Their surface presents a combined tuberculate and cristate-like texture ( Fig. 31A View FIGURE 31 ).

The surface of the lobes features some poorly developed dumbbells, 0.06–0.07 mm long, mostly with densely placed rounded tubercles ( Fig. 31B View FIGURE 31 ). The dumbbells from the interior of the lobes are 0.07–0.09 mm long and their bare waist is 0.02–0.03 mm wide and 0.01–0.02 mm long ( Fig. 31C View FIGURE 31 ), with either end ornamented with rounded tubercles or blunt-ended conical ones. The surface layer of the base comprises poorly developed dumbbells, 0.04– 0.08 mm long, featuring rounded tubercles ( Fig. 32A View FIGURE 32 ). The dumbbells from the interior of the colony base are 0.08–0.10 mm long, ornamented with low pointed conical or short blunt-ended conical tubercles, separated by a bare waist, 0.02–0.04 mm wide and 0.01–0.02 mm long ( Fig. 32B View FIGURE 32 ).

Color. The dry holotype MNHN-IK-2000-385 is beige-brown.

Remarks. The original description of holotype MNHN-IK-2000-385 ( Tixier-Durivault 1942: 138–143, Figs. 1–5 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 ) was repeated in the subsequent revision of the genus ( Tixier-Durivault 1948: 185–189, Figs. 179–183). In general, the current examination of both the holotype colony and its sclerites corresponds to the descriptions by Tixier-Durivault (1942, 1948). Figure 183 in Tixier-Durivault’s 1948 revision refers to the lobe sclerites, but actually presents both polyp sclerites and some of the lobe sclerites. This species is diagnostically characterized by elongated polyp platelets, featuring coarse rods with no indication of lateral median constriction. No details are provided on the exact locality in the Red Sea where the type colony was collected.

Distribution. Red Sea.