Turbinaria cylindrica

Nemenzo, 1960

Corallum a large encrusting mass; surface incompletely lobed, each of which giving rise directly into corallites or into vertical columns which bear several corallites.

Corallites tall cylinders or slightly attenuated cylinders, their tops somewhat rounded; mature ones 15-17 mm high; young ones along edge as low as 3 mm. Tallest corallites at inner portion of corallum. Attenuated corallite 4 mm diameter at base, 3 mm at tip; cylindrical corallite 3.5 mm diameter. Corallites crowded, proliferous, pointing to all directions; buds oftentimes arise near calice. Calice circular, shallow, less than 2 mm across, not occupying entire top; wall thick, rounded. Calicinal fossa appearing to be very tiny at center.

Septa thin, 18-22, their edges level with calicinal rim until close to center where they dip vertically down to columella, giving the calice its very small fossa. Septal edges conspicuously toothed, crinkled. Surface smooth but for occasional spinule. Interseptal loculi not sharply differentiated from perithecal furrows.

Columella a single point or two or a tiny lamella.

Perithecal reticulum not very visible because of abundance of spines especially on wall of corallites. Spines fine, sharp, equal in height, giving intercalicinal areas velvety appearance.

This coral resembles in some respects Turbinaria ramosa of Yabe and Sugiyama (1941). However, the corallites of the present specimen are not markedly attenuated as those of the Japanese specimen; there are more septa and are very thin; the calicinal fossa is less conspicuous. The method of branching is also different in the two specimens.

Nemenzo, F. (1960). Systematic studies on Philippine shallow water scleractinians: IV. Suborder Dendrophylliida. Natural and Applied Science Bulletin, University of the Philippines. 18: 1-22.

Accepted

WoRMS Editorial Board. (2024). World Register of Marine Species. Available from https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ. Accessed 2024-05-02. doi:10.14284/170

Plate V, Fig 1-2: UP C-907:Pinamungajan, Cebu (Nemenzo) 1959

UP C-909:Pinamungajan, Cebu (Nemenzo) 1959

UP C-915:Pinamungajan, Cebu (Nemenzo) 1959-type

UP C-916:Pinamungajan, Cebu (Nemenzo) 1959

Institute of Biology, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City