Corresponding author: Gary C. Williams (
Academic editor: L. van Ofwegen
A new genus and species of sea pen or virgulariid pennatulacean from the Gulf of Guinea in the tropical eastern Atlantic is described, and a key to the genera of the
Williams GC (2015) A new genus and species of pennatulacean octocoral from equatorial West Africa (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Virgulariidae). ZooKeys 546: 39–50. doi:
The biogeographic region of the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic coast of Africa is home to several apparently endemic octocoral genera, including the pennatulaceans
Five genera were previously included in the family
Virgulariid sea pens are known to range from intertidal habitats to approximately 1200 m in depth (
It is the aim of this paper to describe a new genus and species of pennatulacean octocoral previously unknown to science, to name the new genus in recognition of the significant career contributions of a prominent octocoral systematist, and to differentiate the new genus from all other genera in the family based on morphological comparisons.
Material for this study was revealed during a survey of the pennatulacean octocoral collection at the Museum Support Center
Scanning electron micrographs were made in the Academy’s SEM laboratory with a LEO 1450 VP scanning electron microscope after coating the sclerites on a standard SEM pin stub mount (12.7 mm in diameter and 8 mm pin height) with gold/palladium.
United States National Museum
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
California Academy of Sciences Invertebrate Zoology, San Francisco, California
Virgulariid pennatulaceans with polyp leaves rolled or convoluted; 20-26 polyps per polyp leaf; polyp leaves and coenenchyme contain rod-like, somewhat three-flanged sclerites, with parallel sides, broadly triangular at each end, 0.02 to 0.06 mm in length.
The genus is named for Dr. Manfred Grasshoff in recognition of his important contributions to the systematics of octocorals, particularly gorgonians and pennatulaceans. He is currently Honorary Scientist at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt, for his significant contributions to the taxonomy and evolution of octocoral cnidarians. From 1969–2001, Dr. Grasshoff headed the Marine Invertebrates Section at the Institute, where his main research objectives were the taxonomy of octocorals and the evolutionary biology of coelenterates, as well as more general aspects of evolution and phylogeny. From 1972 to 1989 he published several papers on deep-sea pennatulaceans from European and North Atlantic waters (
Virgulariid sea pens superficially resembling some species of
Holotype:
The specific epithet is derived from the genus
Habitat not known. Known only from the type locality – Niger River Delta, Nigeria, Gulf of Guinea, West Africa. Depth not recorded (Figure
Map of the Gulf of Guinea, West Africa, showing type locality of
The coenenchyme covering the rachis is extremely thin, and therefore the rachis and axis diameters are virtually equal. The polyp leaves are distinctly rolled or conspicuously curved, perhaps due to contraction in the wet preserved type material, as the appearance of the living colonies is not known. Siphonozooids were not observed in the preserved type material, possibly due to the congested and contracted state of the polyp leaves along the rachis.
The family name “
The
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3 | Needle-like sclerites form a strong fan-shaped armature at the base of each polyp leaf |
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– | Spindle-like sclerites form a weak cluster at the bases of the polyp leaves (but not as a fan), or they are scattered in the polyp leaves and autozooids (but not as basal clusters) |
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4 | Numerous ovoid plate-like sclerites are present in the rachis and polyps leaves; sclerites red in color |
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– | Numerous prismatically-shaped rod-like sclerites, which are indistinctly three-flanged, are present in the polyp leaves and peduncle; sclerites colorless | |
5 | The polyps of a single polyp leaf are of equal size; number of polyps per polyp leaf are highly variable (3–100 or more) |
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– | The polyps on the inner portion of a single polyp leaf are smaller in size than those of the outer portion of the leaf; polyps per polyp leaf are few (4–7 in number) |
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I am grateful to Stephen Cairns, Department of Invertebrate Zoology,