Trimuricea caledonica Grasshoff 1999

Trimuricea caledonica Grasshoff, 1999

Trimuricea caledonica Grasshoff, 1999: 48–50, figs. 81–83 (New Caledonia); Grasshoff & Bargibant 2001: 183 (New Caldonia); Samimi-Namin & van Ofwegen 2016: 11–13, figs. 4c, 7–8.

Opinion: There is no evidence that this species occurs in the region.

Justification:

These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable: Kumar et al. 2014a: 86, pl. 40, A–D (Munak Gate); Fernando et al. 2017: 97, pl. 43, fig. A–D (Munak Gate).

Literature analysis: A major character of Trimuricea is the presence of thornscales in the calyces that have a tuberculate basal root (that may consist of 2 diverging processes or be complexly branched) from which a smooth or thorny spine arises that may be accompanied by 2 smaller spines angled to the sides. The most characteristic feature, however, is the presence of thornscale-like sclerites in the polyps, usually accompanied by some curved spindles. Trimuricea caledonica was comprehensively redescribed by Samimi-Namin & van Ofwegen (2016) and the sclerites bear no resemblance to those illustrated in the two identical accounts given by Kumar et al. (2014a) and Fernando et al. (2017). In fact, it is very difficult to assign their material to a genus. The sclerites from the calyx that are figured do not look like thornscales, appearing instead to have a base of thin radiating arms and a central boss. The left-most sclerite of the four labelled “POLYP” looks like one of the radial forms viewed from the side. These sclerites look more like they originate from the coenenchymal and are very similar to those that occur in species of Villogorgia. The polyp sclerites that are figured are not of the Trimuricea form and are perhaps not polyp sclerites at all. Kumar et al. (2015, 2018) just listed the species and provided the same colony image in their 2014 paper. Trimuricea caledonica is possibly endemic to New Caledonia.