Species ID
OC-SP-0003395
Discovered
Phylum
Cnidaria
Species ID
OC-SP-0003395
Provisional Species Name
Nicella sp_MAL1_053
Lowest Valid Taxon Name in WoRMS
Nicella
Lowest Known Rank
Genus
Status
Discovered
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Embargo
No
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Cnidaria
Class
Octocorallia
Order
Scleralcyonacea
Family
Ellisellidae
Genus
Nicella
Taxonomic Remarks
There is only one nominal species, Nicella dichotoma (Gray, 1860), from the Indian Ocean. The sclerites of this specimen have a typical Nicella character, but the colours of the sclerites and the branching pattern are different and have never been reported from the Indian Ocean. Only images reported the same morphotype from the Seychelles (Fassbender et al. 2021). This is the first record of this genus from the Maldives and the second species of this genus from the Indian Ocean.
Received All Minimal Data for Discovery
10/04/2026
Description of Material
Colony: Height 47 cm, width 23.7 cm (Fig.1) Live colour: white to yellow colony with dark-brown to black-coloured polyps Shape of the colony: uniplanar fan Branching patterns: irregular, branching starts from the base. Short branch at the tip No anastomoses exist Arrangement of polyps: alternate biserial. Branch diameter measurement (tip/base) 6mm at base and 1.5 mm at tip, maximum 2 mm. Polyps: Height: 1-1.3 mm, width: 1-2.4 mm (Fig.2) Colour of sclerites: Brownish and colourless
Distribution
Only known from Laamu, Maldives, Indian Ocean. Depth 114 m.
Scientific Name Authorship
Matsumoto
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