Porphyrophyton distinctum

Remarks. Thomson (1910) described Alcyonium fauri, an encrusting, lobate colony that lacked sclerites in the polyps and colony interior, and had only “ double wheels ” in the colony surface. From his illustrations these sclerites appear to be compact radiates or spheroids with sparse ornamentation and a median waist, not unlike those found in the stalk surface of Porphyrophyton distinctum n. comb. (see Williams 1988, 1992 a). The primary discrepancy between Thomson’s (1910) description of A. fauri and P. distinctum n. comb. is the color, which he reported as brown rather than vivid purple; he also noted that A. fauri did not have soluble pigments. Although Broch (1939) synonymized A. fauri with Alcyonium fallax Lüttschwager, we disagree that the two are the same (see below for further discussion). Thomson's (1910) specimen of A. fauri was not available to us for comparison with Porphyrophyton distinctum n. comb.

Material examined. UF 2624, South Africa, Eastern Cape, Port Elizabeth, Thunderbolt Reef 3, depth 18 – 20 m, coll. J. Starmer, 25 February 1999, 3 colonies.