Sarcodictyon catenatum Forbes, 1847, is a common species in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. However, often it has been mistaken for Rolandia coralloides Lacaze-Duthiers, 1900. On the basis of British and Mediterranean material we studied the main characters for distinguishing S. catenatum. We consider Rolandia coralloides Lacaze-Duthiers, 1900, to be a valid species and we assign to it all the material named Rolandia rosea by S. Weinberg (1978). Furthermore, a histological study confirmed that R. coralloides typically forms groups of polyps embedded in a common coenenchyme. Therefore, the possibility of transferring R. coralloides from Stolonifera to Alcyonacea is discussed. Evagorgia rosea Philippi, 1842, is here considered to be a nomen dubium.

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Zoologische Mededelingen

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Naturalis journals & series

Ocaña, O., López-González, P. J., Núñez, J., & García-Gómez, J. C. (2000). A survey of the genera Sarcodictyon Forbes, 1847, and Rolandia Lacaze-Duthiers, 1900, (Anthozoa: Octocorallia) in the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Zoologische Mededelingen, 73, 12-33, 413–426.