Desmophyllum
Ehrenberg, 1834, p. 299
Type Species
Madrepora dianthus Esper, 1794, pl. 69, figs 1-3; Subsequent Designation Cairns, 1994, p. 76
Type Specimen: Neotype; USNM 92475; Verified; Dry Preserved
Type Locality: Recent: Sagami Bay, Japan.
Neotype designated by Cairns (1994). The type species is well described by Cairns (1979, 1982, 1994) and Zibrowius (1980).
Classification
Synonyms
Diagnosis
Corallum solitary, trochoid to subcylindrical, firmly attached; septothecate; pali absent; columella absent or rudimentary; sparse endothecal dissepiments in elongate coralla.
Remarks
Several dozen fossil species and three Recent species. See Baron-Szabo (2002), Cairns (1994) and Chevalier (1961) for discussion. D. dianthus is one of a dozen cosmopolitan coral species and perhaps the most commonly collected deep water coral species. It is also morphologically one of the simplest in construction.
This page has been in preparation since 08-Oct-2008 15:21
This version was contributed by Stephen D. Cairns on 03-Nov-2008 17:25.
Page authors are: Stephen D. Cairns Jarek Stolarski. Please contact the editor if you would like to contribute to the diagnosis of this taxon.
The editor is: Stephen D. Cairns
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