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NUMBER 557 49
DISCUSSION.—Yabe and Eguchi (1932a) listed a specimen
of C. laevicostata from 604 m "off Japan" but did not describe
or illustrate it. The only Soyo Maru station made at that depth
was station 262, from Suruga Bay. The specimen was later
(Yabe and Eguchi, 1942b) referred to as Caryophyllia sp.
Because the specimen has never been described, illustrated, or
definitively identified, it is not considered as a legitimate record
for the North Pacific. Caryophyllia laevicostata was originally
described from off Ascension Island, Atlantic at 776 m and
later synonymized by Zibrowius (1980) with C. atlantica
(Duncan, 1873). C. atlantica has a distribution including the
eastern Atlantic and Hawaiian Islands at depths of 776-2165
m.
Subgenus Caryophyllia (Acanthocyathus)
Milne Edwards and Haime, 1848
DIAGNOSIS.—Caryophyllia having coralla with edge spines.
TYPE SPECIES.—Acanthocyathus grayi Milne Edwards and
Haime, 1848a, by subsequent designation (Milne Edwards and
Haime, 1850a:xiii).
Caryophyllia (A.) grayi Milne Edwards
and Haime, 1848
PLATE 2\i-k
Acanthocyathus grayi Milne Edwards and Haime, 1848a:293, pi. 9: figs. 2,
2a.—Yabe and Eguchi, 1942b:121-122 [synonymy, no figure].—
Umbgrove, 1950:641-642, pi. 81: figs. 27-32 [synonymy].—Wells,
1984:209, pi. 2: figs. 5-9 [synonymy].—Eguchi and Miyawaki, 1975:57.—
Zou, 1988:76, pi. 5: figs. 8, 9.
DESCRIPTION.—Corallum ceratoid, compressed (GCD:LCD
= 1.3-1.5), and usually slightly curved in plane of GCD.
Largest specimen examined (USNM 71846, Pleistocene of
Vanuatu) 21.7 x 16.9 mm in calicular diameter, but Yabe and
Eguchi (1942b) reported a specimen 28 x 20 mm in calicular
diameter, and the holotype is reported to be even larger at 30 x
20 mm in calicular diameter and 40 mm in height. Coralla
unattached, the pedicel narrowing to 1.5-1.8 mm in diameter.
Each mature specimen bears up to 8 lateral spines: 2 or 3 on the
concave edge and 3-5 on the convex edge. Spines up to 8 mm
in length (but commonly broken) and circular to slightly
elliptical in cross section. Costae equal in width, slightly
convex, and finely granular. Corallum light reddish brown.
Septa arranged in 14 to 18 sectors, the most common
arrangement being: 14:14:28 (= 56 septa); however, end half
systems often have extra pairs of quaternaries, i.e., 14:14:28:6
(= 62 septa) and coralla with 18 sectors have up to 72 septa.
Primary septa up to 2.8 mm exsert, extend about three-quarters
distance to columella, and have straight inner edges. Secondary
septa about 1.8 mm exsert, three-quarters width of primaries,
and have sinuous inner edges. Tertiary septa equally exsert as
secondaries but only about three-quarters their width, and have
slightly sinuous inner edges. Quaternary septa usually restricted
to end half-systems. A distinct crown of 14-18 wide
(about 2 mm) pali occur before the secondary septa, each palus
planar but with slightly sinuous edges. Fossa of moderate
depth, containing an elongate columella composed of 7-10
highly fused, slender twisted elements.
DISCUSSION.—The only specimens of this species previously
known from off Japan were those reported by Yabe and
Eguchi (1942b) off Seto, Wakayama-ken, and those reported
by Eguchi and Miyawaki (1975) off Kushimoto, Honshu. The
two large specimens reported by Yabe and Eguchi (1942b),
stated to be deposited at the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory
of Kyoto University, are no longer there (Grygier, pers.
comm.). Comparisons of this species to C. (A.) spiniger are
made in the account of that species.
MATERIAL EXAMINED.—New Records: TM (KT9309,
AM6), 3, ORI; TM (KT9309, AM7), 5, USNM 93161, 8, ORI.
Previous Records: Vanuatu Pleistocene specimens reported
by Wells (1984), USNM.
TYPES.—Holotype not traced. Type Locality: Unknown.
DISTRIBUTION.—Japan: Off Seto and Kushimoto, Honshu;
off Amami Oshima, Ryukyu Islands; 108-191 m. Elsewhere:
Pliocene of Java. Plio-Pleistocene of Java, Japan,
Ceram, Talaud, and Vanuatu. Recent: South China Sea;
Philippines 04/6-5381, 5593); Andamans; off Burma; 37-
490 m.
Caryophyllia (A.) spiniger Kent, 1871
PLATES 21/, 22a-d
Acanthocyathus spiniger Kent, 1871:275-276, pi. 23: fig. la-c—Yabe and
Eguchi, 1941c:212; 1942b: 112, 122.
DESCRIPTION.—Corallum ceratoid to trochoid, compressed
(GCD:LCD = 1.3-1.4), and straight. Largest specimen
examined (Alb-5371) 18.2 x 14.1 mm in calicular diameter and
17.6 mm in height. Corallum unattached, the pedicel only
0.8-1.3 mm in diameter. C1-2 ridged, the two lateral C, giving
the corallum alate edges. A pair of short (up to 5 mm), slender
(about 0.7 mm in diameter) edge spines occurs close to the
pedicel. A much larger pair of spatulate spines occurs slightly
higher on calicular edges, each measuring up to 13 mm in
length and up to 3.1 x 0.8 mm in cross section, the greater
diameter of the spine being in plane of greater axis of corallum.
In some large coralla, a third pair of spines similar to the second
pair occur higher on thecal edge. In about one-quarter of the
specimens examined, 4 large additional thecal spines occur
(Plate 22d), similar to the second edge pair in size, one midway
on each lateral Cl. Corallum reddish brown to white.
Septa hexamerally arranged in four complete cycles according
to the formula: S1>S2>S3>S4. S, highly exsert (up to 4.5
mm), extend about four-fifths distance to columella, and have
straight inner edges. S2 only about 2.5 mm exsert, only
four-fifths width of an S,, and also have straight inner edges. S3
least exsert (about 1.5 mm), about two-thirds width of an S2,
and have sinuous inner edges. Each pair of S4 adjacent to an S,
are highly exsert (about 2.3 mm) and fused to its adjacent S^
likewise, each pair of S4 adjacent to an S2 are as exsert as an S3
and also fused to its adjacent S2. S4 about two-thirds width of