Annella mollis (Nutting, 1910)

Euplexaura mollis Nutting, 1910a: 13–14, pl. 3, fig. 4, 4a; pl. 4, fig. 8 (Cyrus Bay, Rotti Island).

Subergorgia mollis (new comb.) Stiasny 1937: 98, pl. 7, fig. 47, text fig. FF.

Annella mollis (new comb.) Grasshoff 1999:16, fig. 18 a, e. (New Caledonia).

Not Annella mollis Grasshoff 2000: 8, figs. 11–13, 15, 16.

Opinion: There is some evidence that this species occurs in the region.

Justification:

These Indian records are either unconfirmable or seem to be invalid: Kumar et al. 2014a: 102, pl. 48, fig. A–D (Andaman and Nicobar Islands); Fernando et al. 2017: 21, pl. 5, fig. A–D (SW coast).

This Indian record could be partly correct: Fernando 2011: 20–21, pl. 3, figs 2, 2a, 2d (south coast of India).

Literature analysis: This species was erected for a specimen from Indonesia by Nutting who mistakenly placed it in the genus Euplexaura mollis having failed to notice the scleraxonian axis structure. It was transferred to Subergorgia by Stiasny (1937) and then to Annella by Grasshoff (1999) who discussed the characters of the two accepted species of this genus: A. mollis and A. reticulata (Ellis & Solander, 1786).

In the account of the species in Fernando (2011) and Fernando et al. (2017) the text is identical, but the illustrations are different even though the material examined is the same. But, in the account of the species in Fernando et al. (2017) and Kumar et al. (2014a) the text is different, but the illustrations are identical even though the material examined is different. The colony illustrations in Fernando (2011), indicate a mixture of species with possibly A mollis on the left (pl. 3, figs. 2, 2a) and possibly A. reticulata on the right (pl. 3, figs. 2b, 2c). The distinguishing sclerite form of A mollis is the smooth to roughish double-disc, vertebra-like form shown in Stiasny’s (1937) text figure FFe and Grasshoff’s (1999) figure 18e. Fernando’s fig. 2d sclerite illustration is very small, but it seems it may include the smooth sclerite form, and the colony has the typical elongate meshwork of the species. Having examined many specimens of Annella, the second author believes there is more than one species with the characteristsic elongate meshes and that the sclerites depicted for A. mollis in Grasshoff’s (2000) figs. 12–13 do not represent that species. Grasshoff (2000: 2), however, did state that many more species of this genus could exist.

The illustrations given by Kumar et al. (2014a) and Fernando et al. (2017) show characteristics more like those of A. reticulata than A. mollis. Kumar et al. (2015, 2018) just lists the species and figures one of the colony fragments shown in the 2014 and 2017 papers above. Kumar et al. (2016: PY-P; 2018a) just lists the species.