WoRMS taxon details
Alcyonium papillosum Pallas, 1766
1764795 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:1764795)
accepted
Species
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
recent only
Pallas, P. S. (1766). Elenchus zoophytorum sistens generum adumbrationes generaliores et specierum cognitarum succintas descriptiones, cum selectis auctorum synonymis. [List of zoophytes containing general outlines of genera and brief descriptions of known species, with selected synonyms of the authors.]. <em>Fransiscum Varrentrapp, Hagae.</em> 451 pp., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6019361
page(s): 350 (sp. 204) [details]
page(s): 350 (sp. 204) [details]
Description Pallas described Alcyonium papillosum, sp. 204, p. 350: Definition: a crust, covered with large convex nipples.
A crust...
Homonymy This name is a senior primary homonym of Alcyonium papillosum Lamarck, 1815. Lamarck says the specimen was collected in the...
A crust...
Description Pallas described Alcyonium papillosum, sp. 204, p. 350: Definition: a crust, covered with large convex nipples.
A crust covered with rocks, greyish-rusty, resembling dried leather, rising into unequal nipples, large, turgid, convex, impressed with a wrinkled, contracted rim, piled up in distinct, hollow columns, made of the same leather. I have only seen a single specimen of this, in the collection of the Most Serene Prince of Arausion (= collection of the Stadhouder Prince of Holland). The Alcyonium surpasses all others in size of papillae.
Locality: unknown.
He refers to L.F. Marsili, 1725 (Histoire physique de la mer. De'Pens, Amsterdam), who described on p. 86 and figured on Pl. 15 fig. 76 a 'Champignon de Mer', collected at Cassidaigne, Mediterranean coast of France, at a depth of 160m, but there is no figure by Pallas himself.
(there are translations of Pallas, (Boddaert, 1768 and Wilkens, 1787), who reproduced Marsili's illustration). [details]
A crust covered with rocks, greyish-rusty, resembling dried leather, rising into unequal nipples, large, turgid, convex, impressed with a wrinkled, contracted rim, piled up in distinct, hollow columns, made of the same leather. I have only seen a single specimen of this, in the collection of the Most Serene Prince of Arausion (= collection of the Stadhouder Prince of Holland). The Alcyonium surpasses all others in size of papillae.
Locality: unknown.
He refers to L.F. Marsili, 1725 (Histoire physique de la mer. De'Pens, Amsterdam), who described on p. 86 and figured on Pl. 15 fig. 76 a 'Champignon de Mer', collected at Cassidaigne, Mediterranean coast of France, at a depth of 160m, but there is no figure by Pallas himself.
(there are translations of Pallas, (Boddaert, 1768 and Wilkens, 1787), who reproduced Marsili's illustration). [details]
Homonymy This name is a senior primary homonym of Alcyonium papillosum Lamarck, 1815. Lamarck says the specimen was collected in the...
Homonymy This name is a senior primary homonym of Alcyonium papillosum Lamarck, 1815. Lamarck says the specimen was collected in the Indian Ocean by Péron & Lesueur (this would be likely a specimen from Australia). The specimen was not found in the Lamarck collection in the Muséum d''Histoire Naturelle at the time Topsent (1933) redescribed Lamarck's material. Apart from that specimen Lamarck also described a variety B which would be from Europe, with fewer papillae, similar to what was described by Ellis and Ellis & Solander as Spongia urens, and by Linnaeus, 1767 as Spongia tomentosa (the variety B thus would be like Halichondria panicea). [details]
WoRMS (2026). Alcyonium papillosum Pallas, 1766. Accessed at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1764795 on 2026-08-03
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Nomenclature
original description
Pallas, P. S. (1766). Elenchus zoophytorum sistens generum adumbrationes generaliores et specierum cognitarum succintas descriptiones, cum selectis auctorum synonymis. [List of zoophytes containing general outlines of genera and brief descriptions of known species, with selected synonyms of the authors.]. <em>Fransiscum Varrentrapp, Hagae.</em> 451 pp., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6019361
page(s): 350 (sp. 204) [details]
page(s): 350 (sp. 204) [details]
Other
additional source
Boddaert, P. (1768). Lyst der Plant-Dieren..... Utrecht, 1768, (440-443,653, pl.11, fig.2-3).
page(s): 435, pl. XI fig. 1 [details]
additional source Esper, E.J.C. (1806). Die Pflanzentiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Farben erieuchtet, nebst Beschreibungen. Pars III, Lfg. 1 (13) und 2 (14). Nürnburg, 1805. 3 : (25-30,32-38,63-66).
page(s): 68-70; note: Comparison with Alcyonium tuberculosum. [details]
additional source Haddon A. C.; Duerden J. E. (1896). On some Actiniaria from Australia and other districts. <em>Scientific Transactions of the Royal Dublin Society.</em> 6, II, 6, 139-172.
page(s): 147 [details]
additional source Gmelin, J. F. (1791). Caroli a Linné Systema Naturae, ed. 13. Tome 1(6). Vermes. G. E. Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig]. pp. 3021-3910. , available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/83098#5
page(s): 3816 [details]
additional source Marsigli, L.F., 1725. Histoire physique de la mer.
page(s): 86, pl. 15 fig. 76a [details] Available for editors
[request]
additional source Wilkens, C.F. (1787). P.S. Pallas, Charakteristik der Thierpflanzen. Nach seinem Tode herausgegeben von J.F.W. Herbst. <em>Raspischen Buchhandlung, Nürnberg.</em> pp. 265 + 22 (unnumbered) + pls. XXVI.
page(s): 172, fig. 61 [details]
page(s): 435, pl. XI fig. 1 [details]
additional source Esper, E.J.C. (1806). Die Pflanzentiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Farben erieuchtet, nebst Beschreibungen. Pars III, Lfg. 1 (13) und 2 (14). Nürnburg, 1805. 3 : (25-30,32-38,63-66).
page(s): 68-70; note: Comparison with Alcyonium tuberculosum. [details]
additional source Haddon A. C.; Duerden J. E. (1896). On some Actiniaria from Australia and other districts. <em>Scientific Transactions of the Royal Dublin Society.</em> 6, II, 6, 139-172.
page(s): 147 [details]
additional source Gmelin, J. F. (1791). Caroli a Linné Systema Naturae, ed. 13. Tome 1(6). Vermes. G. E. Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig]. pp. 3021-3910. , available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/83098#5
page(s): 3816 [details]
additional source Marsigli, L.F., 1725. Histoire physique de la mer.
page(s): 86, pl. 15 fig. 76a [details] Available for editors
[request]additional source Wilkens, C.F. (1787). P.S. Pallas, Charakteristik der Thierpflanzen. Nach seinem Tode herausgegeben von J.F.W. Herbst. <em>Raspischen Buchhandlung, Nürnberg.</em> pp. 265 + 22 (unnumbered) + pls. XXVI.
page(s): 172, fig. 61 [details]
From editor or global species database
Description Pallas described Alcyonium papillosum, sp. 204, p. 350: Definition: a crust, covered with large convex nipples.A crust covered with rocks, greyish-rusty, resembling dried leather, rising into unequal nipples, large, turgid, convex, impressed with a wrinkled, contracted rim, piled up in distinct, hollow columns, made of the same leather. I have only seen a single specimen of this, in the collection of the Most Serene Prince of Arausion (= collection of the Stadhouder Prince of Holland). The Alcyonium surpasses all others in size of papillae.
Locality: unknown.
He refers to L.F. Marsili, 1725 (Histoire physique de la mer. De'Pens, Amsterdam), who described on p. 86 and figured on Pl. 15 fig. 76 a 'Champignon de Mer', collected at Cassidaigne, Mediterranean coast of France, at a depth of 160m, but there is no figure by Pallas himself.
(there are translations of Pallas, (Boddaert, 1768 and Wilkens, 1787), who reproduced Marsili's illustration). [details]
Homonymy This name is a senior primary homonym of Alcyonium papillosum Lamarck, 1815. Lamarck says the specimen was collected in the Indian Ocean by Péron & Lesueur (this would be likely a specimen from Australia). The specimen was not found in the Lamarck collection in the Muséum d''Histoire Naturelle at the time Topsent (1933) redescribed Lamarck's material. Apart from that specimen Lamarck also described a variety B which would be from Europe, with fewer papillae, similar to what was described by Ellis and Ellis & Solander as Spongia urens, and by Linnaeus, 1767 as Spongia tomentosa (the variety B thus would be like Halichondria panicea). [details]
From editor or global species database
