Published February 7, 2023 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Nicella dichotoma

Description

Nicella dichotoma (Gray, 1860)

Scirpearia dichotoma Gray, 1860: 481 (Mauritius).

Nicella mauritiana Gray, 1870a: 40, fig. 12.

Nicella dichotoma Bayer & Grasshoff 1994: 41, figs. 14–15.

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

Justification:

These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable: Thomas & George, 1986: 108–109, fig. 1q, 1–3, x (Tuticorin).

Literature analysis: This species was originally described by Gray as Scirpearia dichotoma from Mauritius and then later synonymised by the same author under Nicella mauritiana Gray, 1870.A number of authors have recorded the species from the type locality, but accurate details of the sclerites were not known until the publication of Bayer & Grasshoff (1994). The specimen described as this species by Thomas & George (1986) as occurring in the region is unrecognisable, and in their 1987 paper and in the publications of Thomas & George (1987), Kumar et al. (2014a) and Venkataraman et al. (2004) just list the species.

Notes

Published as part of Ramvilas, Ghosh, Alderslade, Philip & Ranjeet, Kutty, 2023, The taxonomy of Indian gorgonians: an assessment of the descriptive records of gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) recorded as occurring in the territorial waters of India, along with neighbouring regions and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the highlighting of perceived unethical practice, pp. 1-124 in Zootaxa 5236 (1) on page 95, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5236.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7639327

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Linked records

Additional details

Biodiversity

Scientific name authorship
Gray
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Cnidaria
Order
Alcyonacea
Family
Ellisellidae
Genus
Nicella
Species
dichotoma
Taxon rank
species
Taxonomic concept label
Nicella dichotoma (Gray, 1860) sec. Ramvilas, Alderslade & Ranjeet, 2023

References

  • Gray, J. E. (1860) Description of some new genera of Lithophytes, or stony Zoophytes. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1859, 479 - 486.
  • Gray, J. E. (1870 a) Catalogue of lithophytes or stony corals in the collection of the British Museum. British Museum, London, 51 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 11307
  • Bayer, F. M. & Grasshoff, M. (1994) The genus group taxa of the family Ellisellidae, with clarification of the genera established by J. E. Gray (Cnidaria; Octocorallia). Senckenbergiana biologica, 74 (1 / 2), 21 - 45.
  • Thomas, P. A. & George, R. M. (1986) A systematic appraisal of the commercially important gorgonids of the Indian seas. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India, 28 (1 & 2), 96 - 112.
  • Gray, J. E. (1870) Notes on some new genera and species of alcyonoid corals in the British Museum. The Annals and magazine of natural history, Series 4, 5, 405 - 408. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 00222937008696186
  • Thomas, P. A. & George, R. M. (1987) Gorgonid resources of India. Marine Fisheries Information Services, 74, 1 - 13.
  • Kumar, J. S. Y., Raghunathan, C., Raghuraman, R., Sreeraj, C. R. & Venkataraman, K. (2014 a) Handbook on Gorgonians (Octocorallia) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 119 pp.
  • Venkataraman, K., Jeyabaskaran, R., Raghuram, K. P. & Alfred, J. R. B. (2004) Bibliography and checklist of corals and coral reef associated organisms of India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India. Kolkatta, Occasional Paper, 226, 1 - 468.