Corresponding author: Gary C. Williams (
Academic editor: B.W. Hoeksema
A taxonomic assessment of four species of octocorals from the northeastern Pacific Ocean (British Columbia to California) is provided. Included here are a new species of clavulariid stolonifieran
Recently collected material from British Columbia and California has allowed for the examination and taxonomic assessment of several shallow-water soft corals (intertidal to 20 meters in depth), as well as a plexaurid gorgonian (32-85 m).
All material examined is housed in the marine invertebrate collections of the California Academy of Sciences, preserved in 95% ethanol, and acquired from various sources. Scanning electron micrographs were made using a LEO 1450 VP SEM.
Material used for comparative purposes:
Abbreviation used in the text:
Stolons ribbon-like to somewhat broadened in some areas. Anthosteles hemispherical, arise directly from basal stolons, elevated stolonic bars or transverse platforms absent. Anthocodial armature absent. Sclerites of stolons and anthosteles 0.06–0.10 mm in diameter, mostly spiny balls or stellate bodies with projecting processes in three dimensions.
Holotype. CAS 177194. North America, U.S.A., California, San Diego County, San Diego, Point Loma,
(
The species is named for Jedediah Strong Smith, American trailblazer and cartographer, who explored vast regions of western North America between 1822 and 1831, and along the Pacific Coast, including San Diego in December of 1826 (
Two species of the genus
The geographic range of
1a | Anthosteles (polyp mounds) cylindrical, up to 2.8 mm in height and 1.8 mm in diameter. Sclerites are irregulary-shaped radiates, irregular sclerites presumably derived from radiates, tuberculate rods, and shuttles; 0.06–0.18 mm long |
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1b | Anthosteles (polyp mounds) hemispherical, approximately equal in height and diameter, mostly 1–1.4 mm. Sclerites resemble spiny balls or stellate bodies with projecting processes in three dimensions; 0.05–0.10 mm long |
CAS 179450, Canada, British Columbia, Weynton Passage, Plumper Group of islands, Plumper Island, (
In addition, there are other ambiguous details that are relevant here. Ehrenberg’s 1834 paper is dedicated to the corals of the Red Sea, but he lists
Recent molecular phylogenetic evidence shows that there are two species included in
Polyps clustered in groups on short lobes, emanating from short stalk above holdfast. Polyps tubular, curved, non-retractile, relatively large. Sclerites primarily radiates with variable ornamentation and modification of turberculation; rod-like forms also present. Colonies pink in life, white preserved.
Holotype. CAS 171939, Canada, British Columbia, Langara Island; 26 June 2004; 12 m depth, collected by Andy Lamb; one specimen. Paratypes. CAS 171940, same data as holotype, one specimen. CAS 171940, same data as holotype, one specimen.
CAS 179449, same data as holotype, 11 specimens. CAS 173218. Canada, British Columbia, east side of Kerouard Island, off south end of Queen Charlotte Island; 9 m depth, 51 54.624'N, 130 58.635'N; 7 August 2003; 20 m depth; collected by Doug Swanston; one specimen. CAS 173219. Canada, British Columbia, Queen Charlotte Islands, Kunghit Island, west side of Cape St. James; 21 May 2002; 9 m depth; collected by Danny Kent; one specimen.
(
This species is named for marine naturalist and educator Andy Lamb (Vancouver, British Columbia), who collected the type material.
The only other species known in the genus
This species is distributed from Washington to southern California, while
1a | Alcohol-preserved polyps cylindrical, straight, 4.5–5.5 mm long by 1.2–1.5 mm wide. Sclerites of the distal half of polyps are red, all other sclerites colorless. Color of preserved colonies white with pink distal regions of polyps |
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1b | Alcohol-preserved polyps tubular in shape, often curved, 4.5-8.0 mm long by 1.5–2.0 mm wide. All sclerites are colorless. Color of preserved colonies is white throughout |
Plexaurid gorgonians. Colonies tall, erect, planar. Branching lateral from single basal stem. Upper branches relatively sparse, slender, elongate, mostly slightly curved. Retracted polyps as numerous low rounded protuberances all round surfaces of branches and stem. Sclerites mostly robust spindles and radiates, some ellipsoid to sub-spherical in shape.
The generic name is derived from the Greek
The genus
A comparison is also warranted between
Forty five genera of the holaxonian family
Currently, the evidence based on molecular data does not support the family as being a monophyletic one, but rather has shown many genera dispersed throughout richly-populated phylogenetic trees, and do not exhibit close affinities as a group. In some cases, plexaurid genera have even appeared associated with genera in other families (
Plexaurid gorgonians, entire colonies.
1a | Colony color red, formed by permanent red coloration of sclerites. Sclerites are mostly radiates and spindles, <0.10–0.25 mm long. One species, temperate Eastern Pacific (California to Oregon) |
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1b | Colony color highly variable, often formed by alcohol-soluble pigments, sclerites colorless. Sclerites are robust ovals to subsperoids and plump spindles, |
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CAS 096746, California, Monterey Carmel Bay off San Jose Creek Beach (Monastery Beach), 38 m depth, 20 May 1962, coll. Dennis Sullivan, five whole colonies. CAS 173222, California, Monterey Bay, Carmel Bay (Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary), 32 m depth, 22 September 2010, coll. Karen Grimmer, two whole colonies. CAS 168895, California, (Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, Rittenburg Bank), 85 m depth, 8 October 2012, coll. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one whole colony.
Map of the North American Pacific coast showing collecting localities for
In spite of the fact that the marine fauna of the west coast of the United States is relatively well known with a plethora of marine laboratories dotting the coast, as well as an abundance of well known and excellent manuals and field guides describing the fauna (
In addition, two new species of octocorals are here described from recently collected material in the intertidal zone of southern California and in shallow subtidal regions of British Columbia and southern Alaska.
I am grateful to Jeff Goddard, Neil McDaniel, Andy Lamb, Marc Chamberlain, Doug Swanston, Danny Kent, and Pauline Ridings for their observations, and for providing photographic images and octocoral material. I thank Jei-Ying Chen (California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco) for help in the preparation of scanning electron micrographs.