The taxonomy of Indian gorgonians: an assessment of the descriptive records of gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) recorded as occurring in the territorial waters of India, along with neighbouring regions and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the highlighting of perceived unethical practice Author Ramvilas, Ghosh 0000-0001-5028-9058 ramvilas@kufos.ac.in Author Alderslade, Philip 0000-0001-5801-4681 phil.alderslade@csiro.au Author Ranjeet, Kutty 0000-0001-5028-9058 ramvilas@kufos.ac.in text Zootaxa 2023 2023-02-07 5236 1 1 124 journal article 54753 10.11646/zootaxa.5236.1.1 64c50077-1b03-44c5-9af9-0dac9180d62d 1175-5326 7639327 796FF9F5-E71F-4C69-92CC-CF4D6752BD77 Anthogorgia ochracea Grasshoff, 1999 Anthogorgia ochracea Grasshoff, 1999: 30 , fig. 42–45 ( New Caledonia ). Opinion: There is no evidence that this species occurs in the region. Justification: These Indian records seem to be either invalid or unconfirmable : Kumar et al . 2014a: 54 , pl. 24, fig. A–D (Munak Gate); Fernando et al . 2017: 59 , pl. 23, fig. A–D (Munak Gate). Literature analysis : This species was erected for numerous rust-red colonies from New Caledonia , and they are probably endemic to that region. The accounts of the Indian material by Kumar et al . (2014a) and Fernando et al . (2017) are identical, but they describe yellow colonies with blue polyps. Along with short rods, Grasshoff described and figured large, curved, somewhat flattened sclerites in the polyp tentacles of this species, which do not appear to be present in the Indian material. The same goes for the large oval sclerites and the short ellipsoid forms with huge warts that occur in the coenenchyme. Kumar et al . (2015) just lists the species and figure the colony illustrated in the Kumar et al . (2014a) and Fernando et al . (2017) papers.