Favia fragum (Esper, 1793)

Authority reference(s):

Original description dated

Esper, 1793a. Madrepora fragum Esper, 1793 in Die Pflanzenthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Farben erleuchtet nebst Beschreibungen. Fortsetzung der Pflanzenthiere Esper, E.J.C. (1797). Nürnberg: Raspischen Buchhandlung, 1: 79-80, Fig LXIV. (For species details see p. 79 and Plate LXIV)

Publication dates clarified in

Ott, F.D. (1995). The taxa depicted in E.J.C. Esper's Die Pflanzenthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur (1788-1830) and its Fortsetzungen (1794-1806) with a combined index to both works. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien 97B:1-36.

Taxonomic note: This species is possibly a Dichocoenia but requires detailed taxonomic study to confirm. It is unlikely to belong to the well-established Indo-Pacific genus Favia. There are both nomenclatorial and taxonomic issues associated with the species. It was erroneously given type species status for Favia by subsequent designation of Verrill (1901). The mistake has been known since the time of Vaughan, see 'The potential of type species to destabilise the taxonomy of zooxanthellate Scleractinia' (Veron, 2015) and 'Website policy' for our treatment of widespread destabilisation based entirely on historical error

Taxonomic reference(s):

Roos, P.J. (1971). The shallow-water stony corals of the Netherlands Antilles. Studies on the Fauna of Curacao and other Caribbean Islands 37(130):1-108, pls. 1-53.

Zlatarski, V.N. and Estalella, N.M. (1982). Les Scléractiniaires de Cuba avec des données sur les organismes associés. Sofia: Academie Bulgare des Sciences. 472pp.

Veron, J.E.N. (2000a). Corals of the World. Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science. Volumes 1-3. 1410pp.