Corallina obtusata Ellis & Solander, 1786: 113, pl. 22: fig. 2 (type locality: Bahamas).
Galaxaura obtusata (Ellis & Solander) Lamouroux, 1816: 262–263.—Krauss, 1846: 214.— Areschoug, 1851: 22.— Kützing, 1858: 16, pl. 35: fig. I.— Harvey, 1862: pl. CCXXVIII.— Harvey, 1863: xxxviii.— Hauck, 1886 [1886–1889]: 166.— De Toni & Levi, 1888: 53.— Barton, 1893: 144.— Schmitz, 1895a: 139.— Schmitz, 1895b: 26.— Barton, 1903b: 164.— Weber-van Bosse, 1913b: 113.— Weber-van Bosse, 1914: 277.— De Toni, 1920: 134.— Delf & Michell, 1921: 102.— Svedelius, 1945: 52–62, figs. 19–21, pls. VIII, IX.— Levring, 1953: 514.— Durairatnam, 1962: 9.— Sacco, 1965: 551.— Papenfuss & Chiang, 1969: 305–307, figs. 1, 2.— Umamaheswara Rao, 1969d: 43.— S. Dixit, 1970: 117.— Umamaheswara Rao, 1974e: 61–62, figs. 6–8.— Jaasund, 1976: 69, figs. 137A,B.— Sartoni, 1976: 129–130, fig. 14.— Jaasund, 1977c: 417.— Knutzen & Jaasund, 1979: 3.— Farghaly, 1980: 155, pl. XVIII: figs. 2, 3.— Lawson, 1980: 44.— Seagrief, 1980: 24, fig. on pl. 6.— Papenfuss, Mshigeni, & Chiang, 1982: 418–421, figs. 14–16, 27, 39.— Untawale, Dhargalkar, & Agadi, 1983: [27].— Barratt et al., 1984: species list.— Jagtap, 1985a: 47.— Payri, 1985: 640.— Seagrief, 1988: 48, fig. 5:6.— Untawale & Jagtap, 1989: table I (`obtusa').— Desikachary, V. Krishnamurthy, & M. Balakrishnan, 1990: 175–177.— Huisman & Borowitzka, 1990: 161–163, figs. 28–38.— Huisman et al., 1990: 93.— Huisman & Walker, 1990: 397.— Millar, 1990: 303.— Farrell, Critchley, & Aken, 1993: 154.— Jagtap, 1993: table I.— Huisman & Womersley, 1994: 112–113, figs. 30H–J.— Ormond & Banaimoon, 1994: 118.
Taxonomic synonyms:
Tubularia umbellata Esper, 1796 [1794–1797]: pl. Tubularia XVII; 1809 [1805–1830]: 125 (type locality: probably West Indies; see Note).
Galaxaura umbellata (Esper) Lamouroux, 1816: 262.—J. Agardh, 1876: 526 (var. umbellata).— Sonder, 1880: 25.— Barton, 1893: 144.— De Toni, 1897: 111.— Mazza, 1906 [1905–1918]: 4–5.— Lucas, 1909: 22.— Delf & Michell, 1921: 103.— Børgesen, 1951: 37.
* Galaxaura breviarticulata Kjellman, 1900: 84, pl. 18: figs. 1–13; pl. 20: fig. 51 (type locality: Port Natal [Durban], South Africa).—De Toni, 1924: 141.— Børgesen, 1942b: 54–56, figs. 26, 27.— Børgesen, 1957: 8.— Isaac, 1971: 13.— Pichon, 1978: 144, 414.— Lawson, 1980: 43.— Payri, 1985: 640.— Moorjani & Simpson, 1988: 28, pl. 55.
* Galaxaura corymbifera Kjellman, 1900: 87–88, pl. 19: figs. 21–27; pl. 20: fig. 50 (type locality: Port Natal [Durban], South Africa).—De Toni, 1924: 144.— Kylin, 1938: 6, fig. 1G, pl. 2: fig. 5.— de Valéra, 1938: 1–4, figs. 1–3.— Børgesen, 1942b: 56–57.— Svedelius, 1942a: 74–108, figs. 50–75.— Svedelius, 1942b: 73–81, 82, figs. 1a,b,d–f.— Stephenson, 1944: 300, 350.— Stephenson, 1947: 303.— Isaac, 1957b: 93.— Papenfuss, 1968b: 271.— Simons, 1969: 255, fig. (s.n.).— Jackson, 1976: 33.— Simons, 1977: 49, fig. 141.— Brown & Jarman, 1978: 1253 (Galaxaura capensis in error), 1256.— Farnham & Lambert, 1981: 135.— Branch et al., 1994: 328, pl. 156.2.
Galaxaura dolicharthra Kjellman, 1900: 85–86, pl. 18: figs. 33–44; pl. 20: fig. 55 (type locality: New South Wales, Australia [Lake Macquarie fide Huisman & Borowitzka, 1990: 162]).—De Toni & Forti, 1923: 14–15.— De Toni, 1924: 142–143.— Lucas & Perrin, 1947: 135.
* Galaxaura effusa Kjellman, 1900: 84–85, pl. 18: figs. 14–18; pl. 20: fig. 52 (type locality: Port Natal [Durban], South Africa).—De Toni, 1924: 141–142.
* Galaxaura insignis Kjellman, 1900: 87, pl. 19: figs. 8–20; pl. 20: fig. 47 (type locality: Nosy-Bé, Madagascar).—De Toni, 1924: 143–144.— Svedelius, 1945: 63–64.
* Galaxaura robusta Kjellman, 1900: 85, pl. 18: figs. 19–32; pl. 20: fig. 42 (type locality: Nosy-Bé, Madagascar).—Weber-van Bosse, 1921: 219–220.— De Toni, 1924: 142.— R. Chou, 1945: 46–47, pl. 3: figs. 1–10; pl. 9: fig. 2.— Lind, 1956: 26.— Lawson, 1980: 44.
Misapplied name (fide Børgesen, 1942b: 54–56):
Galaxaura rugosa.—Jadin, 1935: 163 (in part).
INDIAN OCEAN DISTRIBUTION: Andaman Islands, Australia, India, Indonesia (Timor), Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nicobar Islands, Oman, Réunion, Saya de Malha Bank, Seychelles (including Mahé Island), Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Yemen.
Note: The synonymy was proposed by Papenfuss, Mshigeni, & Chiang (1982: 418–421). For the provenance of Tubularia umbellata, Esper wrote "gleichfalls in den ostindischen Gewässern''. Because "gleichfalls'' (i.e. "likewise'') refers to T. obtusata (Ellis & Solander) Esper (Galaxaura obtusata (Ellis & Solander) Lamouroux which is from the West Indies, it seems likely that "ostindischen'' was an error for "westindischen''.