Description of Favitesmonticularis sp. nov. (Faviidae)
off North Andaman Islands, India
Tamal Mondal1, C. Raghunathan 2 & K. Venkataraman 3
1,2 Zoological Survey of India,
National Coral Reef Research Institute, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
744102, India
3 Zoological Survey of India, Prani Vigyan Bhawan,
M- Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal 700053,
India
1 t_genetics@yahoo.com
(corresponding author), 2 raghuksc@rediffmail.com, 3 venkyzsi56@gmail.com
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3224.4510-3 | ZooBank:urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7DB0F983-8CAE-4674-8019-6E3A1A4B616B
Editor: S. AjmalKhan, Annamalai University, Parangipettai, India. Date
of publication: 26 June 2013 (online & print)
Manuscript details: Ms # o3224 | Received 20 December 2012 | Final
received 06 April 2013 | Finally accepted 17 June 2013
Citation: Mondal,
T., C. Raghunathan & K. Venkataraman(2013). Description of Favites monticularis sp. nov.(Faviidae) off North Andaman
Islands, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 5(10):
4510–4513; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3224.4510-3
Copyright: © Mondalet al. 2013. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTTallows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and
distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of
publication.
Funding: Ministry of Environment and Forests,
Government of India.
Competing Interest: None.
Acknowledgements: Authors
are grateful to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India
for financial support and facilities provided.
For images, table -- click here
Scleractinian corals are described under 18 families.
Among these, Faviidae is denoted as the second
largest family having 126 species of corals belonging to 24 genera (Veron 2000). Veron (1986) described the characteristics as well as
differentiation among the genera such as Favia,Barabattoia, Favites,
and Montastrea. Veron (2000)
summarized a total of 14 species of corals under the genus Favitesamong 16 extant species. The described species under
the genus Favites are flat, rounded,
massive, encrusting with irregular compact organization. Corallites aremonocentric and cerioidwith fused structural form with the presence of common wall
which is acute. Leafy walls
are composed of 6–8 mm deep fossa. Calices are variable in structure such as oval, polygonal and angular
with a series. Several marginally
spiny septa are developed from the fossa with prominent dentations. Colonies are usually brown to green but
the peristome region can be seen with contrasting colour. The Andaman & Nicobar Islands
represent diverse scleractinian corals of the genus Favites with new records of spinosa, paraflexuosa andmicropentagona (Mondalet al. 2010a,b). These islands also
represent a high diversity of scleractiniancorals at North and Middle Andaman & Ritchie’s Archipelago (Mondal et al. 2011, 2012a). This paper deals with the taxonomic
description of a species which bears a unique
compelling character to be described as new to science.
Material
and Methods: The holotype coral specimen was
sampled from off Shibpur, Diglipur,
North Andaman by self contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA)
diving. Collected material was kept
in freshwater for six days to remove the mucous
substances and air dried for examination. Morphological measurements were made with VernierCaliper (Aerospace 074 15376). Characteristic features of the specimen were examined under the Digital Stereozoom Microscope, Model Leica M 205 A. Taxonomic characters of the specimen
were studied in consultation with Veron et al. (1977)
and Veron (2000).
Order: Scleractinia Bourne, 1900
Suborder:Faviina Vaughan and Wells, 1943
Family: Faviidae Gregory, 1900
Genus Favites Link, 1807
Favites monticularis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:51885921-4955-4FB4-BE0B-113D1D4FCC12
Material Examined: Holotype: ZSI/ANRC-7410, 03.iii.2012, a small
terminal portion of the observed colony (Image 1) was sampled at a depth of 14m
in a reef area off Shibpur (13014.439’N
& 92002.971’E), located at Diglipur,
North Andaman. The area of the observed colony was about 1m2.
The
measurement of the sample is as follows: length—3.5cm, width—2.1cm
and height—1.5cm. Holotype is deposited in the
National Zoological Collections of Zoological Survey of India, Port Blair. Five colonies were observed from the
same study area (Image 2).
Diagnostic characters: The
colonies of Favites monticolarissp. nov. areencrusting, massive. Corallites are cerioid. The
diameter of the corallites is 6–10 mm. Two septalcycles can be distinguished. Lengths of the septa are variable. The first order septa reach the columellawhile the second order may or may not. Paliform lobes are well developed, echinose in structure. Septal dentition is also well formed in echinose pattern. Columella is poorly developed and loose. Septa are variable and exert over the
theca forming conical-shaped monticule structures. These are regular and variable in length
of 2–3 mm according to corallitesstructure. Due to the presence of
monticules, the colonies appear as serially arranged upwards and downwards structures (Image 2).
Closely related species: Favites pentagona is
a very closely related species. This species does not have a monticule like structure. Favites monticolaris sp. nov. is also closely related to Hydnophora microconos in lateral view.
Colour: Colonies are green to brown in colour. Centre
of the corallites or columellais pale and the monticules are whitish in colour.
Etymology: Monticularis is based on the word monticule which means small hill or mound, as the species bears
small hill (monticule) shaped structure on the septalwall, which distinguishes this species from
other species of the genus Favites.
The
presently described species has been compared with other 14 species of Favites reported from worldwide with their key
taxonomical features (Table 1).
Discussion:The Andaman and Nicobar Islands harbor a great deal of scleractinian corals which makes this area one of the
highly diversified reef areas in the Indo-Pacific region. Favites monticularis sp. nov. is described as a new scleractinian coral species from the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands. Although this species
shows a close resemblance to Favites pentagona, in morphological characters - it also shows
a distinct difference with the presence of monticule. This character makes this species
unique. Apart from the described holotype of Favites monticularis reported from off Shibpur,
five more colonies of the presently described species were observed from the
same study area and subsequently three colonies at Neil Island (11050.857’N
& 93001.140’E) and two colonies at Havelock Island (11053.274’N
& 93001.439’E) during underwater status survey of scleractinian corals. Mondal et al. (2012b) reported a total of 88 species of faviidswith 13 species of Favites from these
groups of islands. This
new species under the genus Favites is
not only an addition to scleractinian order but also
new to science.
References
Link, H.T. (1807). Beischreibungder Naturalien Sammlungender Universitat zu Rostock. 3: 161–165.
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