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NUMBER 557 55
secondary homonym of D. orientalis Duncan, 1876].
Deltocyathus vaughani Yabe and Eguchi, 1932a:388-389 [replacement name
for D. orientalis Vaughan, 1900]; 1937:130, 135-138, pi. 20: fig. lla-c,
12a-c; 1942b:113, 126.—Eguchi, 1965:287, 3 figs.; 1968:C35.—Eguchi
and Miyawaki, 1975:57.—Not Keller, 1982:51, pi. 1 [= 4, plates
miscaptioned]: figs. 1, 2, 7.—Zibrowius and Grygier, 1985:121, fig. 12.
Deltocyathus (Levipalifer) vaughani.—Wells, 1956:F423-424, figs. 325, 4a,b.
DESCRIPTION.—Corallum patellate, having a convex to
almost flat base with a basal angle ranging from 130°-170°.
Largest corallum examined (Alb-4973) 22.9 mm in calicular
diameter and 8.9 mm in height, but Yabe and Eguchi (1937)
reported an even larger specimen of 24 mm calicular diameter.
Holotype 19.7 mm in calicular diameter and 7.8 mm in height.
Costae ridged, becoming increasingly prominent toward
calicular edge where they are up to 1.5 mm in height. C1-2
originate at epicenter, C3, about 0.5 mm from epicenter; and C4,
about 2 mm from epicenter. Each costa bears a linear row of
tall, blunt to clavate granules, giving costal edges a coarsely
serrate aspect. Costae also laterally spinose. Intercostal space
up to twice width of a costa and usually flat; however, near
calicular edges of large specimens there is sometimes a low
ridge bisecting this space. Corallum white.
Septa hexamerally arranged in 4 complete cycles, all
specimens examined (as small as 9 mm in calicular diameter)
having 48 septa. S! highly exsert (up to 3.5 mm), each bearing
a prominent palus 1.3-1.6 mm wide, which joins the
columella. S2 less exsert (about 3.0 mm), about three-quarters
width of an Sv and also bear a similar-sized palus, but
positioned slightly higher in fossa and more recessed from
columella than the P^. S3^ equally exsert (about 2.5 mm), the
S3 being about two-thirds width of an S2, but S4 are slightly
wider than S3, about three-quarters width of an S2. Each S3
bears a very wide palus equal to or wider than the septum it
borders, these lobes forming a crown higher in the fossa and
more recessed than P2 crown. S4 often bear narrow paliform
lobes, each pair of which fuse to its enclosed P3. If P4 are
absent, S4 inner edges fuse to P3. Inner edges of P2 and P3
loosely connected near columella. Fossa shallow. Columella an
elongate field of small interconnected papillae.
DISCUSSION.—Deltocyathus vaughani is a relatively common
and very distinctive deep-water species in the Japanese
region. It resembles the Atlantic D. conicus Zibrowius, 1980 (=
D. sp. cf. D. italicus sensu Cairns, 1979) in conical corallum
shape and costal morphology, but differs in having P4. In fact,
the character of having P4 distinguishes D. vaughani from all
other species in the genus that have four cycles of septa and was
used as the basis for the creation of the genus Levipalifer
Vaughan, 1900. However, I agree with Yabe and Eguchi
(1937), not Vaughan (1900) or Wells (1956), that the variable
presence of P4 does not justify a separate genus or even
subgenus.
Even though Duncan's (1876) Deltocyathus orientalis was
transferred to the genus Peponocyathus, it was necessary to
provide a replacement name for Vaughan's (1900) Levipalifer
orientalis, being a junior secondary homonym of Duncan's
species. Yabe and Eguchi (1932a, 1937) provided the name
Deltocyathus vaughani as this replacement name.
The specimens reported by Keller (1982) from the South
Pacific (425-1640 m) are similar to D. vaughani in corallum
shape and in having P4 lobes, but their costae appear to be very
different and are therefore not included in the synonymy of this
species.
One specimen (TM (KT7811, OT4), Plate 24/) has a
well-developed ascothoracid gall, similar to those previously
described by Zibrowius and Grygier (1985) for this species.
MATERIAL EXAMINED.—New Records: Alb-4906, 3,
USNM 92712; Alb-4908, 12, USNM 92713; Alb-4909, 1,
USNM 92714; Alb-4911, 13, USNM 92715; Alb-4913, 2,
USNM 92716; Alb-4915, 32, CAS 74942; A1M958, 1, USNM
92717; Alb-4966, 1, USNM 82152; Alb-4967, 6, CAS 16326;
Alb-4968, 3, CAS 80906; Alb-4972, 11, CAS 80942; Alb-
4973, 1, USNM 92718; Alb-5054, 57, USNM 92719;
Alb-5056, 43, USNM 92720; Alb-5088, 35, USNM 92721;
Alb-5093, 4, USNM 92722; TM (KT7811, OT4), 4, USNM
92723, 26, ORI; TM (KT7818, OT10), 2, USNM 92724; TM
(KT7911, OT4), 7, USNM 92725. Previous Records: Holotype
of L. orientalis, USNM.
TYPES.—The holotype (Plate 23/,/) of Levipalifer orientalis
is deposited at the USNM (19391). Type Locality: "Bosyu (=
Awa), Japan," depth unknown.
DISTRIBUTION.—Japan: from Sagami Bay to Bungo Strait,
Honshu; off southwestern Kyushu; 88-1097 m, but most
records are deeper than 400 m.
Deltocyathus rotulus (Alcock, 1898)
PLATE 24/,*
Trochocyathus rotulus Alcock, 1898:16, pi. 2: figs. 1, la.
Deltocyathus fragilis Alcock, 1902a:99-100; 1902c:21, pi. 2: figs. 15, 15a.
Deltocyathus rotulus.—Cairns and Keller, 1993:245, fig. 5l [synonymy].
DESCRIPTION.—Corallum shaped like a shallow bowl, with
a flat to gently rounded base and upturned edges. Largest
Japanese specimen examined (Alb-5079) 31.1 mm in diameter
and 7.3 mm in height; however, a specimen from the Celebes
Sea (Alb-5582) is larger, measuring 36.4 mm in diameter.
Circular region 7-12 mm in diameter at center of base of large
coralla invariably worn and without costae. Otherwise, peripheral
region of base crenulated, the theca associated with each C4
and flanking C5 forming slightly raised radial strips about 2
mm wide that project up to 1.5 mm beyond the calicular edge
formed by the C^_3. Cu3 extremely narrow (about 0.2 mm),
finely serrate ridges that are slightly recessed in valleys formed
by ridged C4_5. Corallum white.
Septa hexamerally arranged in 5 cycles, the fifth cycle
usually completed at a calicular diameter of 30-32 mm. Small
coralla often lack all 4 S5 within one or more half-systems, a
specimen 20-30 mm in diameter having anywhere from 72-92
septa. S1.2 moderately exsert (about 3 mm) and are independent
septa, i.e., not fused to any adjacent septa. Each S^g
usually bears a small palus (about 1 mm wide), which is