Balanophyllia (Balanophyllia) japonica Cairns 2001

Balanophyllia teres, sp. nov

Balanophyllia fistula Yabe and Eguchi, 1942b:141 [in part: “first form,” pl. 12: fig. 14a,b).—Eguchi, 1968:C63.

Dendrophyllia fistula.—Eguchi, 1965:295 [in part: middle figure]; 1968:C62-63 [in part: “simple form,” ?pl. 12: fig. 4–6].

DESCRIPTION.—Corallum terete (cylindrical to slightly conical) and quite elongate, straight to irregularly curved. Holotype 4.33 mm in calicular diameter and 30.7 mm long; largest specimen (Alb-4903) 7.0 mm in calicular diameter and 60.0 mm long. Basal tip of colony free: either pointed and worn or transversely fractured. Buds absent. Corallum obviously epithecate, a continuous, smooth, thick epitheca extending virtually to calice. Underlying noncostate synapticulotheca visible only on lower half of corallum or on coralla dead when collected. Corallum white.

Septa arranged in a weak Pourtalès Plan of 3–4 cycles. A corallum of 3.5–4.5 mm GCD has only 3 septal cycles (24 septa), whereas a slightly larger specimen of GCD = 5.6 mm has about 40 septa, and the largest specimen of GCD = 7.0 mm has a full fourth cycle (48 septa). S1 slightly exsert (0.3–0.6 mm) and relatively narrow, with straight, entire inner edges that fuse with the columella only deep within fossa. S2 of small coralla (e.g., holotype) small (only about one-third width of an S1) but in a larger corallum having pairs of S4 within their half-systems, S2 are three-quarters width of an S1, and almost attain the columella. S3 of smaller coralla slightly wider than the S2, the inner laciniate edges of each pair of S3 within a system fusing before its adjacent S2 near the columella. S3 of larger coralla quite small, each flanked by a pair of larger S4 that loosely fuse near the columella. Fossa moderately deep, containing a discrete spongy columella, that, in larger specimens, is constricted by the inner edges of the 4 lateral S1