dcsimg

Description

provided by NMNH Antarctic Invertebrates

“Bathelia candida Moseley, 1881

Plate 3, figs. 1-3

Bathelia candida Moseley, 1881, pp. 177, 178, pl. 8, figs. 1-6.—Wells, 1958, p. 262.—Cairns, 1979, p. 206.

Description. Colony dendroid, corallites arranged in opposite and alternating fashion on branch. Extratentacular budding most common; however, intratentacular budding also occurring. May have three branches originating at one calice. Maximum size of colony unknown. Branches robust (about 1 cm in diameter) and solid; no dissepiments present. Coenosteum smooth and very finely granulated. Thin, shallow coenosteal striae bordering wide, flat costae corresponding to all septa. Calices round to slightly elliptical, 6-10 mm in diameter, projecting obliquely several millimeters from branch.

Septa hexamerally arranged in four cycles. S1 and S2 equal in size and extending to columella; S3 and S4 progressively smaller. All septa narrow and slightly exsert, extending over thickened calicular edge as low ridges. Inner septal edges straight; those of S1 and S2 usually entire, those of S3 and S4 usually dentate. Septal granulation variable, ranging from abundant, small, fine granules to sparse larger, blunt granules. Lower inner edges of S3 bearing tall, narrow pali, these bordering columella and terminating at same height as columellar papillae. Pali usually distinguished from papillae by their larger size and elliptical to rectangular shape in cross section. Columella composed of 5-15 tall, slender papillae, these irregularly round in cross section. Pali and columellar papillae granulated. Because of narrow septa, fossa rather wide but not very deep, being filled in with pali and columella.

Discussion. Bathelia is a monotypic genus and has been reported from only one locality previously.

Material. Vema sta. 17-14, USNM 47512. Calypso sta. 171, USNM 47513 and SME. Following WH records (H. Zibrowius, personal communication, 1979): sta. 215/66, sta. 142/71, sta. 191/71, sta. 197/71, sta. 328/71, sta. 329/71, sta. 331/71 (all WH specimens deposited at ZIZM). Syntypes.

Types. The syntype branches, from Challenger sta. 320, are deposited at the British Museum.

Type-locality: 37°17'S, 53°52’W (off Rio de la Plata); 1097 m.

Distribution. Off southern South America from Rio Grande, Brazil, to Cabo Tres Puntas, Argentina; off Peninsula de Taitao, Chile (Map 1). Depth range: 500-1250 m.”

(Cairns, 1982)

Biology

provided by World Register of Marine Species
azooxanthellate
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cc-by-4.0
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WoRMS Editorial Board
contributor
Stephen Cairns [email]

Depth range

provided by World Register of Marine Species
500-1250 m
license
cc-by-4.0
copyright
WoRMS Editorial Board
contributor
Stephen Cairns [email]