386 
S.D. Cairns 
Distribution 
Western Australia: western Great Australian 
Bight; 963-1011 m. Elsewhere: virtually 
cosmopolitan, except for continental Antarctic and 
boreal North Pacific, but including southeastern 
Australia; 35-2460 m (Cairns and Parker 1992). 
Genus Thalamophyllia Duchassaing, 1870 
Thalamophyllia tenuescens (Gardiner, 1899) 
Desmophyllum tenuescens Gardiner, 1899: 161-162, 
pi. 19, figs. la-b. 
Thalamophyllia tenuescens - Cairns, 1995: 78, pi. 21, 
figs, g-i (description).—Cairns and Zibrowius, 
1997: 133, figs. 17 d-e. 
New Records 
Stn 16, 13°56'S, 125°37'E (Cassini Island), 
"SCUBA depth", 18 VIII 1991, 1, WAM 436-96 (in 
part, attached to base of Rhizopsammia verrilli); stn 
C71, NE of Leo Island, Easter Group, Houtman 
Abrolhos Islands, 38 m, 1 IX 1972, 4 corallites, 
WAM 437-96. 
Distribution 
Western Australia: continental shelf off Cassini 
Island, Kimberley, and Houtman Abrolhos Islands; 
38 m. Elsewhere: western Pacific from Philippines 
to Kermadec Islands, including off Queensland; 8- 
315 m (Cairns and Zibrowius 1997). 
Genus Asterosmilia Duncan, 1867 
Asterosmilia marchadi (Chevalier, 1966) 
Dasmosmilia marchadi Chevalier, 1966: 944-949, pi. 
5, figs. 3-4. 
Asterosmilia marchadi - Zibrowius, 1980: 141-142, pi. 
74, figs. A-K (synonymy and description).— 
Cairns and Zibrowius, 1997: 131-132, figs. 17 a-b. 
New Records 
Lady Basten: stn LB5(s), 11, WAM 30-96; stn 
LB5(t), 1, WAM 20-96. 
Distribution 
Western Australia: known only from continental 
shelf off Port Hedland; 150-160 m. Elsewhere: 
cosmopolitan in tropical seas, except for eastern 
Pacific; 32-229 m (Cairns and Zibrowius 1997). 
Genus Rhizosmilia Cairns, 1978 
"Rhizosmilia" multipalifera sp. nov. 
Figure 4 b-c, e-f 
Paracyathus porphyreus - Folkeson, 1919: 12-13, figs. 
16-17. 
Records 
Sprightly: stn 41M, holotype and 2 paratype 
colonies, WAM 129-83; stn 19M, 1 paratype colony, 
WAM 127-83; stn 20M, 1 paratype corallite, WAM 
132-83; stn 30M, 1 paratype colony, USNM 97008; 
stn 33M, 1 paratype colony, WAM 360-79; stn 34M, 
1 paratype colony, WAM 135—83; stn 40M, 1 
paratype colony, USNM 97009;. 
Diamantina: stn 55,1 paratype colony, WAM 242- 
93; stn 76, 1 paratype corallite, WAM 148-83; stn 
208,1 paratype colony, WAM 226-93. 
Other records: Cape Jaubert, 45 mi (72 km) WSW, 
66 ft. (20 m), 2 paratypes, SMNH 223 ( Paracyathus 
porphyreus of Folkeson 1919). 
Type Locality 
30°16.8'S, 114°39.6'E (Jurien Bay), WA; 82 m. 
Description 
Encrusting colonies of up to 35 corallites, each 
corallite budding from a thin common basal 
coenosteum. Corallites cylindrical: up to 9.6 mm in 
GCD and 12 mm in height. Corallite base 
polycyclic, composed of concentric rings of hollow 
chambers formed by exothecal dissepiments 
covering raised costae. Calices elliptical to elongate 
in cross section: GCD:LCD = 1.1-1.6. Theca often 
heavily encrusted with calcareous epifauna; costae 
well developed only near calicular edge as thin 
ridges. Small corallites white, but larger corallites 
bear a brown pigmentation on theca near calicular 
edge. Septa hexamerally arranged in 4 cycles 
between a GCD of 5-8 mm; larger corallites have 
additional pairs of S5. Sl-2 about 1.1 mm exsert, 
having slightly sinuous inner edges that extend 
about half distance to columella. Each Sl-2 bears 
1-3 small paliform lobes positioned low in fossa 
near the columella. S3 about 0.9 mm exsert and 3/ 
4 width of the Sl-2, each bearing one large 
paliform lobe that rises higher in the fossa than the 
Pl-2. S4 about 3/4 width of the S3, having laciniate 
inner edges. If pairs of S5 are present, the flanked 
S4 bears a P4. Sparse endothecal dissepiments 
present. Fossa deep, containing a well-developed 
trabecular columella. 
Remarks 
Among the six previously described species in 
the genus, R. multipalifera is most similar to R. 
sagamiensis (Eguchi, 1968), but differs by having 
well-developed paliform lobes before the Sl-2 as 
well as the S3. In this character R. multipalifera 
differs from all other Rhizosmilia and is only 
tentatively placed in the genus. 
Distribution 
Western Australia: continental shelf of 
southwestern coast from Cape Jaubert to north of 
Perth; 11-165 m. 
