Lebrunia coralligens

Diagnosis. Fully expanded oral disc and tentacles to 18 - 22 mm in diameter. Oral disc smooth, 3 - 5 mm in diameter, beige and translucent (Figure 7 B). Tentacles hexamerously arranged in 3 - 4 cycles (about 24 - 52 in number), moderately long (about 5 - 8 mm length), tapering distally, inner ones longer than outer ones, contractile, gray or beige, translucent, with tips whitish or yellowish and scattered bluish dots along the entire length (Figure 7 B, C). Column short, smooth, 3 - 6 mm in diameter and 6 - 10 mm in height, bright-brown with faint stripes corresponding to mesenterial insertions. Column distally with 4 - 6 outgrowths (pseudotentacles). Pseudotentacles branched, ending in globular-shaped vesicles with batteries of macro- and micro-basic p-amastigophores and basitrichs; bluish with gray or brown circle in center (Figure 7 A-C). Pedal disc well-developed, circular, 3 - 7 mm in diameter, light brown or beige, translucent (Figure 7 C). Mesenteries hexamerously arranged in 2 - 3 cycles (12 - 24 pairs in specimens examined): first cycle perfect and sterile, others imperfect and fertile; more mesenteries proximally than distally (two and three cycles, respectively). Hermaphroditic (Figure 7 G). Two pairs of directives each attached to a well-developed siphonoglyph (Figure 7 D). Retractor muscles diffuse, strong; parietobasilar muscles with short and thick mesogleal pennon (Figure 7 E, F). Basilar muscles relatively poorly developed (Figure 7 H). Marginal sphincter muscle absent. Ectodermal longitudinal muscles in distal column. Longitudinal muscles of tentacles ectodermal (Figure 7 I). Zooxanthellae present (Figure 7 F). Cnidom: basitrichs, macrobasic and microbasic p-amastigophores, and spirocysts (Figure 7 J-V; see Table 2).

Distribution. Western Atlantic, from Bahamas to Brazil, and along the Caribbean Sea (Wilson 1890, Manjarres 1978, Acuna et al. 2013, Varela 2002, Herrera-Moreno and Betancourt 2002). Lebrunia coralligens has been recorded in the Mexican Caribbean (Jordan-Dahlgren 2008), and in the VRS (Gonzalez-Munoz 2005, see Table 1).