Maze Coral

Desmophyllum dianthus (Esper, 1794)

ACCOUNT.—See Part 1.

Lophelia Milne Edwards and Haime, 1849

DIAGNOSIS.—See Part 1.

Desmophyllum dianthus (Esper, 1794)

Madrepora dianthus Esper, 1794, pl. 69: figs. 1–3; 1795:85–86.—Scheer, 1990:406.

Desmophyllum dianthus.—Ehrenberg, 1834:299–300.—Milne Edwards and Haime, 1848a:254–255; 1857:77–78.—Yabe and Eguchi, 1942b: 113–114, pl. 9: figs. 1–3.—Eguchi, 1965:290, 2 figs.; 1968:C41, pl. C33: fig. 6.

Desmophyllum cristagalli Milne Edwards and Haime. 1848a:253; pl. 7: figs. 10. 10a.—Marenzeller. 1904b:81.—Durham. 1947:36–37. pl. 1: figs. 6. 10, 15, 17; 1949:158–159, pl. 4: figs. 2, 4, 7, 8.—Durham and Barnard. 1952: 86–87, pl. 11: fig. 48 [not Cartego Bay specimen].—Parker, 1964:150.—Talmadge, 1972:81, 2 figs.—Zibrowius, 1974a:758–761, pl. 3: figs. 1–10 [synonymy]; 1980:117–121, pl. 61: figs. A-O; pl. 62: figs. A-M.—Cairns, 1979:117–119, pl. 21: figs. 7, 8; pl. 22: fig. 8; 1982:29–30, pl. 8: figs. 9–12: pl. 9: figs. 1–3 [synonymy]; 1991a:17, pl. 6: figs, g-i.—Austin, 1985:81.—Bythell, 1986:16–17, pl. 8: figs. A-D.—Kozloff, 1987:72.

Desmophyllum cumingii Milne Edwards and Haime, 1848a:254, pl. 7: fig. 11.

DESCRIPTION.—Corallum ceratoid, often flaring at calice (trumpet-shaped), attached through a robust pedicel 20%–40% that of GCD. Largest North Pacific specimen (USNM 83583) 60 × 40 mm in calicular diameter and 50 mm in height, with a pedicel diameter of 20 mm. Calice circular, elliptical, or scalloped. Theca uniformly covered with small low granules; costae rarely expressed, but occasionally C1–3 are present in upper half of corallum as thin ridges. Corallum light brown or grey.

Septa hexamerally arranged in 5 to 6 cycles according to the formula: S1–2>S3>>S4>S5> S6. Fourth cycle (48 septa) attained at a calicular diameter of about 7 mm and fifth cycle at a calicular diameter of about 18 mm; a complete sixth cycle (192 septa) is often present in Japanese specimens. S1–2 extremely robust, up to 2 mm thick at thecal edge, and up to 11 mm exsert. S1–2 have straight, vertical inner edges that define a deep, narrow fossa, the inner edges of opposing S1–2 sometimes almost touching in center of fossa. S3 also highly exsert, but narrower—only 80%–90% width of S1–2. S4 much smaller than S3 (50%-70% width) and least exsert of the septal cycles. S5 only about half width of S4, but highly exsert, rising well above S4 and often becoming incorporated into adjacent S1–3 in large coralla. Septal faces smooth, covered with small, fine, rounded granules. Fossa deep and slender. Columella usually absent but may consist of up to 5 slender fascicular or papillose elements, usually hidden from view in an intact corallum.