Ralpharia rosetta Watson, 1999

Hydrorhiza entwining substrate, tubular, contorted, perisarc very thick, some stolons attached to lower regions of hydrocauli.

Hydrocaulus tubular, of greater diameter than hydrorhiza, straight or curved, circular in section, hollow, increasing in diameter distally from base, 10-12 narrow longitudinal internal canals all of similar diameter, visible through perisarc; perisarc thinning over length of stem, merging into an indistinctly transversely wrinkled transparent sheath beneath hydranth, a groove separating distal end of hydrocaulus from base of hydranth.

Hydranth pyriform, base broad with a whorl of about 40 long aboral tentacles and 20 tightly clustered short oral tentacles; aboral tentacles well separated from orals by a long coelenteric region.

Gonophores male, up to 20 on a long, slender, unbranched blastostyle: gonophores spherical, some flattened apically. Distal end of blastostyle a tight rosette of small, quadrate nematophores richly armed with nematocysts.

Cnidome:

i) Stenoteles, capsule subspherical 7.5-12 x 8- 11 µm, shaft 15 µm long with large spines, abundant in oral and aboral tentacles and in apical cluster.

ii) Stenoteles, capsule spherical, diameter 15-17 µm, shaft 20-22 µm, with large spines; scattered abundantly in oral tentacles and apical cluster.

iii) Large anisorhizas, capsule spherical, 15- 16 µm diameter, tubule thick and ropy, at least 45 µm long, heavily armed with small spines; very abundant, in nematophore cluster.

iv) ?Isorhizas, capsule elongate ovoid, anterior end slightly pointed, 14-19 x 1-7 µm, in base of aboral tentacles, none discharged.

v) Desmonemes, capsule 8-9 x 3-4 µm, rare, site unknown.

Colour: In life, hydrocaulus pale green, body of hydranth deep orange to gold, aboral tentacles clear white to pale gold, oral tentacles pale gold; gonophores scarlet.