DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1283.191899

Authors: Odalisca Breedy, Catherine S. McFadden, Catalina Murillo-Cruz, Ana-Belén Yánez-Suárez, Katleen Robert, Andrea M. Quattrini

Abstract: Existing studies highlight the remarkable diversity of life forms inhabiting deep-sea environments, despite the extreme conditions that characterize them. Here, a new family of gorgonian octocorals is described using an integrative taxonomic approach, combining morphological and genetic evidence. The organisms were obtained from seamounts off the insular shelf of Isla del Coco and three geological features of the Costa Rica Pacific margin, during two expeditions using the ROV SuBastian at depths of 360–529 m. Laurinqueidae fam. nov. is characterized by large irregular-flabellate colonies, with branching that is irregularly lateral, dense, and occasionally anastomosing. Thin coenenchyme includes a sclerome composed of rods and spindles with simple or complex tubercles; the axial sheath has rods and radiates. Polyps are tubular and conspicuously elongated, partially retractile into short cylindrical or dome-shaped mounds and arranged all around the branches. The anthocodiae have tuberculate rods and spindles arranged as points and an inconspicuous collaret. Colonies are bright yellow when alive. Phylogenetic analysis of two mitochondrial genes, mtMutS and COI, and the nuclear 28S rDNA did not clarify the position of the taxon, with each single-gene marker placing it in a different family. Phylogenomic analysis of ultraconserved elements and exons strongly supports its placement in a unique clade, sister to Eunicellidae. The colony growth form and sclerome differ markedly from members of that family. Herein we describe Laurinque elenya gen. et sp. nov. and place this unique lineage in the new family Laurinqueidae fam. nov. This study highlights the extreme incongruence among single-marker gene trees and the need for phylogenomic analyses based on hundreds of genes to elucidate the relationships among deeply divergent lineages of octocorals.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1277.184620

Authors: Tatsuki Koido

Abstract: A new precious coral species, Hemicorallium osmanthogemmum sp. nov. (Scleralcyonacea, Coralliidae), retrieved from a depth of 550 m in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, is described, and an updated identification key for the genus Hemicorallium is provided. The new species is confirmed as belonging to the genus Hemicorallium based on the presence of nonretractile but contractile autozooids with an ovate-cylindrical shape and sclerites comprising elongated rods, 6–8-radiates and double clubs, with elongated rods present exclusively in the tentacles. Moreover, the species is distinct from all its congeners in that it has orange coenenchyme and a pink axis, with autozooids distributed only on the front side of the branch, forming clusters at the branch tips. These morphological features differ from those of all previously described species of Hemicorallium, and molecular analysis of mitochondrial sequences (16S, ND1, ND2, ND3, ND6, COI, MSH, and IGR1) further corroborates the validity of this new species. This is the first report of Hemicorallium off the coast of Kochi Prefecture, Japan.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1277.180972

Authors: Alexander H. Knorrn, Moritz Sonnewald, Sidi Mohamed M. Moctar, Mamadou Dia, Ely Beibou, André Freiwald

Abstract: From 2020 to 2024, The Institut Mauritanien de Recherches Océanographiques et des Pêche (IMROP) and the Senckenberg Research Institute conducted five joint expeditions, exploring the marine biodiversity of the North-Mauritanian coastal habitats, primarily focusing on the Baie de l’Étoile north of Nouadhibou and to the Banc d’Arguin National Park. In order to establish a Mauritanian scientific reference collection of the marine fauna and to build up a DNA barcode library, macrozoobenthic invertebrates from all major groups were collected using various methods and gear. A total of 103 living marine macrozoobenthic invertebrate species were found and their key morphological features were described herein. This checklist gives an overview on the most common species of the Mauritanian coastal macroinvertebrates and provides a baseline for future biodiversity assessments along the Mauritanian coast.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1268.173354

Authors: Takato Izumi, Shuhei Ikeda, Yuichi Nozoe, Sota Goto, Natsumi Imamura, Tadaaki Kinoshita, Hiroaki Uchida, Yoshimi Hamatsu, Hisashi Akiyama, Kazuya Okuizumi

Abstract: Malagazzia michelin sp. nov. is described as the ninth species in this genus. Medusae were collected in shallow waters of western Japan and observed in several aquaria, and cultures were maintained at the Tsuruoka City Kamo Aquarium and Saikai National Park Kuju-kushima Aquarium. Adult medusae were identified as belonging to the genus Malagazzia owing to the presence of excretory papillae on the tentacular bulbs and rudimentary bulbs, four gonads surrounding radial canals, and manubrium with four lips. The obtained polyps also exhibited the typical characters of this genus. However, these medusae can be distinguished from those of other species of Malagazzia by noticeable brown spot-like structures on the gonads and manubrium; combinations of several characters also suggest that the medusae represent an undescribed species. Malagazzia michelin sp. nov. is also demonstrated to be a Malagazzia species by a phylogenetic analysis using DNA sequences. Thus, we determine these individuals as the second and a new species from Japanese waters. We also discuss the challenge of common names used for medusae in aquaria in Japan.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1261.171874

Authors: Kaveh Samimi-Namin, Catherine S. McFadden

Abstract: The octocoral genus Pseudothelogorgia van Ofwegen, 1994 has presented taxonomic challenges since its original description, with its higher-level placement uncertain and obscured by morphological convergence and lack of molecular data. Here, we integrate detailed morphological examination with phylogenomic analyses of newly collected shallow-water specimens from the Gulf of Oman, alongside a redescription of the type material. Our results recover Pseudothelogorgia as a deeply divergent lineage within Malacalcyonacea, sister to Plexauridae but unrelated to Keroeididae, the family in which it was formerly placed. Distinct morphological characters, together with strong phylogenomic support, warrant the establishment of Pseudothelogorgiidae fam. nov. The shallow-water occurrences documented here extend the known depth range of the genus from mesophotic to shallow reef habitats, indicating ecological plasticity and highlighting the need for targeted exploration of under-surveyed Indian Ocean coral assemblages.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1260.167263

Authors: Francesca Benzoni

Abstract: Hard coral species in the agariciid genus Pavona are common in shallow and mesophotic coral reef communities across the Indo-Pacific, but their taxonomy has long been overlooked. Pavona giannii sp. nov. is here described based on newly collected material across the Indian Ocean, and historical museum specimens. In vivo and skeletal morphological features are described, diagnostic characters measured, and comparison with congeners performed. The new species forms an encrusting corallum devoid of raised ridges on its surface. Its corallites are flush with the surface, not inclined, and less than half a corallite diameter apart. Corallites arrangement is thamnasteroid and series can form locally. Where they occur, the radial elements run over the shared walls to the adjacent series’ corallites creating a ladder-like arrangement similar to that observed over the ridges in congeners like Pavona varians and Pavona chiriquiensis. Despite the lack of ridges, P. giannii sp. nov. has morphological affinities with these two species. However, based on previously published morphometrics and meristics, P. giannii sp. nov. corallites are larger and more crowded, and the primary septa are longer and more numerous. In vivo, the new species is distinguished by fully extended white to beige tentacles during the daytime, giving it a white-bearded appearance. Despite the ecological relevance of Pavona corals, a taxonomic revision of the genus is overdue, and the existing molecular studies indicate that it is polyphyletic. Here, the proposed placement of P. giannii sp. nov. in the genus is based on morphological evidence alone and phylogenomic analyses are currently in progress.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1231.136967

Authors: Jeremy Horowitz, Mina Barajas, Luke J. McCartin, Samuel A. Vohsen, Santiago Herrera

Abstract: A new species of black coral, Stauropathes monopinnata sp. nov., represented by two specimens collected 738 m and 1604 m deep off Puerto Rico and Hawaii, respectively, is recognized in the family Schizopathidae. The new species is characterized by a monopodial, unbranched corallum; simple, suboppositely arranged pinnules in two anterolateral rows along the stem with nearly 90° distal angles, spaced 12–17 mm apart in a row, and with smooth and triangular spines 0.05–0.08 mm tall; and polyps 4–9 mm in transverse diameter. A phylogeny composed of 90 taxa representing species in Schizopathidae and Cladopathidae (rooted in Cladopathidae) was reconstructed from 794 nuclear loci to show their systematic relationships. Herein, we provide morphological and molecular evidence to show that this new species is distinct from other species in the genus Stauropathes.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1221.131258

Authors: Hiroki Kise, James Davis Reimer, Akira Iguchi, Yuji Ise, Shinji Tsuchida, Yoshihiro Fujiwara

Abstract: Seamounts are biodiversity hotspots that face increasing threats from anthropogenic activities. Seamounts host diverse sessile suspension-feeding organisms such as sponges and anthozoans, which are crucial for seamount ecosystems as they construct three-dimensional habitats utilized by numerous other animals. Therefore, accurate identification of seamount fauna, in particular of sessile suspension-feeding organisms, is of paramount importance for robust conservation efforts. This study focused on Zoantharia, a sessile anthozoan group, and specifically the family Parazoanthidae, known for associations with many different host taxa, prominently including octocorals and sponges. We collected Parazoanthidae specimens from northwestern Pacific seamounts and formally describe a new species, Vitrumanthus flosculus Kise & Reimer, sp. nov., based on morphological and molecular analyses. We also report the complete mitochondrial genomes of this new species and the related species Churabana kuroshioae. Our results reconfirm the phylogenetic positions of these two species within Parazoanthidae, while demonstrating much remains to be learned about the benthic diversity of northwestern Pacific seamounts.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1213.126841

Authors: Tingzai Sun, Yu Xu, Kuidong Xu, Shun Chen, Shangwei Xie, Zifeng Zhan

Abstract: Members of the genus Pseudopterogorgia Kükenthal, 1919 are widely distributed in shallow water of the Indo-West Pacific. During an investigation of benthic biodiversity in the subtidal zone surrounding the Nanji Islands in the East China Sea, two specimens of Pseudopterogorgia were collected and described as a new species based on an integrated morphological-molecular approach. Pseudopterogorgia nanjiensis sp. nov. is most similar to P. fredericki Williams & Vennam, 2001 in the irregular branching form and indistinct scaphoids, but differs by the coenenchymal sclerite content of distinct capstans and a few warty spindles and radiates (vs. mostly warty spindles and a few capstans), and a purplish colony (vs. white, pink to deep rose). Molecular phylogenetic analyses, based on the mtMutS-COI gene sequences, delineated a monophyletic clade encompassing all assessed Pseudopterogorgia species. Within this clade, P. nanjiensis sp. nov. showed a close phylogenetic affinity with both P. fredericki and P. australiensis Ridley, 1884.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1205.121507

Authors: Daigo Kishi, Keiichi Nomura, Yoko Nozawa, Seiji Arakaki, Hironobu Fukami

Abstract: A new zooxanthellate scleractinian coral, Paragoniastrea variabilis Kishi, Nomura & Fukami, sp. nov. (Scleractinia, Merulinidae), is described from non-coral reef regions of Japan and northern Taiwan. This new species was previously recognized as a morphological variant of Paragoniastrea deformis (Veron, 1990) and can be morphologically distinguished from that species by lacking groove-and-tube structures on corallite wall joints, and by having larger calices, numerous septa, and up to three corallites in one valley. The new species also formed an independent clade from its congeners, P. australensis (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857), P. deformis and P. russelli (Wells, 1954), in the molecular phylogeny based on the mitochondrial intergenic region and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacers.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1203.121411

Authors: Jeremy Horowitz, Dennis M. Opresko, Santiago Herrera, Colleen M. Hansel, Andrea M. Quattrini

Abstract: A new family of antipatharian corals, Ameripathidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Antipatharia), is established for Ameripathes pseudomyriophylla Opresko & Horowitz, gen. et sp. nov. The new family resembles Myriopathidae and Stylopathidae in terms of the morphology of the polyps and tentacles and the pinnulate branching of the corallum. Phylogenetic analysis using a genomic data set of 741 conserved element loci indicates that the new family is sister to a clade containing the Myriopathidae, Stylopathidae, Antipathidae, and Aphanipathidae.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1196.116837

Authors: Brendan A. Cruz, Anneau Cappelmann, Hope Chutjian, Jude C. Roman, Mason A. Reid, Jacob Wright, Aydanni D. Gonzalez, Taylor Keyman, Kierstin M. Griffith, Hannah J. Appiah-Madson, Daniel L. Distel, Vonda E. Hayes, Jim Drewery, D. Tye Pettay, Joseph L. Staton, Mercer R. Brugler

Abstract: We describe the complete mitogenomes of the black corals Alternatipathes mirabilis Opresko & Molodtsova, 2021 and Parantipathes larix (Esper, 1790) (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Hexacorallia, Antipatharia, Schizopathidae). The analysed specimens include the holotype of Alternatipathes mirabilis, collected from Derickson Seamount (North Pacific Ocean; Gulf of Alaska) at 4,685 m depth and a potential topotype of Parantipathes larix, collected from Secca dei Candelieri (Mediterranean Sea; Tyrrhenian Sea; Salerno Gulf; Italy) at 131 m depth. We also assemble, annotate and make available nine additional black coral mitogenomes that were included in a recent phylogeny (Quattrini et al. 2023b), but not made easily accessible on GenBank. This is the first study to present and compare two mitogenomes from the same species of black coral (Stauropathes arctica (Lütken, 1871)) and, thus, place minimum boundaries on the expected level of intraspecific variation at the mitogenome level. We also compare interspecific variation at the mitogenome-level across five different specimens of Parantipathes Brook, 1889 (representing at least two different species) from the NE Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1188.110617

Authors: Catherine S. McFadden, Yehuda Benayahu, Kaveh Samimi-Namin

Abstract: Molecular systematic studies of the anthozoan class Octocorallia have revealed widespread incongruence between phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic classification at all levels of the Linnean hierarchy. Among the soft coral taxa in order Malacalcyonacea, the family Alcyoniidae and its type genus Alcyonium have both been recognised to be highly polyphyletic. A recent family-level revision of Octocorallia established a number of new families for genera formerly considered to belong to Alcyoniidae, but revision of Alcyonium is not yet complete. Previous molecular studies have supported the placement of Alcyonium verseveldti (Benayahu, 1982) in family Cladiellidae rather than Alcyoniidae, phylogenetically distinct from the other three genera in that family. Here we describe a new genus, Ofwegenum gen. nov. to accommodate O. verseveldti comb. nov. and three new species of that genus, O. coronalucis sp. nov., O. kloogi sp. nov., and O. colli sp. nov., bringing the total number of species in this genus to four. Ofwegenum gen. nov. is a rarely encountered genus so far known from only a few locations spanning the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. We present the morphological characters of each species and use molecular data from both DNA barcoding and target-enrichment of conserved elements to explore species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships within the genus.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1183.109000

Authors: Romain Gastineau, Przemysław Dąbek, Kamila Mianowicz, Valcana Stoyanova, Artur Krawcewicz, Tomasz Abramowski

Abstract: The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the tropical East Pacific is a region of interest for deep-sea mining due to its underwater deposits of polymetallic nodules containing economically important metals such as nickel, copper, and cobalt. It is also a region of extensive baseline studies aiming to describe the state of the environment, including the biodiversity of the benthic fauna. An abundant component of the abyssal plain ecosystem consists of sessile fauna which encrusts polymetallic nodules and are vulnerable to potential impacts arising from exploitation activities, particularly removal of substrate. Therefore, this fauna is often considered to have key species whose genetic connectivity should be studied to assess their ecological resilience. One such species is Abyssoprimnoa gemina Cairns, 2015, a deep-sea coral from the CCZ whose presence in the Interoceanmetal Joint Organization (IOM) claim area has been confirmed during samplings. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing (NGS) to obtain the 18S nuclear rRNA gene and the complete mitochondrial genome of A. gemina from IOM exploration area. The mitogenome is 18,825 bp long and encodes for 14 protein coding genes, 2 rRNAs, and a single tRNA. The two phylogeny reconstructions derived from these data confirm previous studies and display A. gemina within a highly supported cluster of seven species whose mitogenomes are all colinear and of comparable size. This study also demonstrates the suitability of NGS for DNA barcoding of the benthic megafauna of the CCZ, which could become part of the IOM protocol for the assessment of population diversity and genetic connectivity in its claim area.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1173.104141

Authors: Jeremy Horowitz, Dennis M. Opresko, María del P. González-García, Andrea M. Quattrini

Abstract: Black corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) are an anthozoan lineage in the class Hexacorallia that occur across a wide range of habitats from the tropics to the poles and from surface waters to depths deeper than 8000 m. A new species of black coral, Aphanipathes puertoricoensis sp. nov., collected with a remotely operated vehicle 357 m deep off Puerto Rico is recognized in the family Aphanipathidae. The new species is characterized by very long and loosely coiled primary branches and up to 0.5 mm tall spines with as many as 40 or more small conical tubercles. A phylogeny composed of 13 taxa that are closely related to the new species was reconstructed from 793 nuclear loci to show their systematic relationships. Our study integrated morphological and genomic data to show that this new species is distinct from other species in the genus Aphanipathes. Furthermore, our results add to the growing knowledge of black coral diversity, while further demonstrating the need for exploration in deep waters of the Caribbean Sea.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1169.89651

Authors: Osvaldo Hernández, Jaime Gómez-Gutiérrez, Carolina Galván-Tirado, Carlos Sánchez

Abstract: Twenty-one nominal species of Muricea have been reported in the Eastern Pacific with nine of them reported in the Mexican Pacific. We describe three new species of Muricea: Muricea ambarae sp. nov. and Muricea cacao sp. nov., from rocky reefs on the central and the northern Gulf of California and the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, and Muricea molinai sp. nov., from the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur. Muricea ambarae sp. nov. and M. cacao sp. nov. are taxonomically allied to the nominal species Muricea fruticosa Verrill, 1869 due to the morphological similarity of colony growth patterns and the phylogenetic closeness based on the mitochondrial MutS gene (mtMutS); but differ mainly in the calyx form and composition of sclerites. The main morphological differences between the new Muricea species are in their sclerite forms and color; M. ambarae sp. nov. has orange-colored colonies, thin leaf spindles and tuberculated blunt spindles, while M. cacao sp. nov. has dark brown colored colonies, strong spinous spindles and an absence of tuberculated blunt spindles. Muricea molinai sp. nov. is phylogenetically close and morphologically similar to Muricea squarrosa Verrill, 1869 in the growth form of the colony and tubular calyces; but has dark brown colored colonies and has calyces from the base to the branch tips. With these three new species, the total number of Muricea species reported in the Mexican northwest region increases to twelve and a total of 24 nominal species in the Eastern Pacific.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1169.100576

Authors: Odalisca Breedy, Catherine S. McFadden, Jorge Cortés

Abstract: Aliena parva gen. et sp. nov. is described from Cocos Island, Costa Rica. The species was found at various islets and rocky outcrops north and northwest of the island, 20–30 m in depth. The genus is characterised by polyps, retracting into calyces, that form thin encrusting mats extending on dead or live substrates. Sclerites are mostly asymmetrical spindles. Anthocodial rods are arranged in points, not forming a collaret. Colonies and coenenchymal sclerites are red, and polyps are transparent. Using an integrative taxonomic approach, we found the new genus to morphologically and genetically differ from all other described taxa. The molecular phylogenetic analyses provide strong support for the placement of this new genus in the family Pterogorgiidae. Morphologically it is unlike any of the other members of this family, necessitating an amendment to the diagnosis of Pterogorgiidae. Like several other known taxa of octocorals with encrusting growth forms, Aliena gen. nov. appears to have evolved from a gorgonian ancestor by loss of an internal skeletal axis. It is the first member of Pterogorgiidae to be reported from the eastern Pacific, contributing further to the knowledge of marine biodiversity in the eastern tropical Pacific and to the octocoral biodiversity of Cocos Island in particular.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1156.96698

Authors: Hiroki Kise, Miyuki Nishijima, Akira Iguchi, Junpei Minatoya, Hiroyuki Yokooka, Yuji Ise, Atsushi Suzuki

Abstract: Symbiotic associations between zoantharians and sponges can be divided into two groups: those that associate with Demospongiae and those that associate with Hexactinellida. Parachurabana shinseimaruae Kise, gen. nov. et sp. nov., a new genus and a new species of Hexactinellida-associated zoantharian from Japanese waters, is described. It is characterized by a combination of the following: i) its host hexactinellid sponge, ii) very flat polyps, iii) cteniform endodermal marginal muscles, and iv) characteristic mutations in three mitochondrial regions (including a unique 26-bp deletion in 16S ribosomal DNA) and three nuclear regions. Parachurabana shinseimaruae Kise, gen. nov. et sp. nov. is the third genus in the family Parazoanthidae that is reported to be associated with Hexasterophora sponges. Although specimens have so far only been collected on Takuyo-Daigo Seamount off Minami-Torishima Island in Japan, unidentified zoantharians of similar description have been reported from the waters around Australia, indicating that the species might be widespread across the Pacific.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1129.95715

Authors: Zoleka N. Filander, Marcelo V. Kitahara, Stephen D. Cairns, Kerry J. Sink, Amanda T. Lombard

Abstract: A revision of figure 3-4 is required, in response to the correspondence from Paris Alidoost Salima (PhD coral researcher: Islamic Azad University) notifying authors that the caption in monograph does not match published plates. Additionally, authors retract Paraconotrochus capensis (Gardiner, 1904) as a synonym of Monohedotrochus capensis comb. nov - as Cairns and Parker (1992) based this new combination on Duncania capensis Gardiner, 1904

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1116.79846

Authors: Giovanni Chimienti, Tullia Isotta Terraneo, Silvia Vicario, Fabio Marchese, Sam J. Purkis, Ameer Abdulla Eweida, Mattie Rodrigue, Francesca Benzoni

Abstract: A black coral, Bathypathes thermophila Chimienti, sp. nov. is described from the Saudi Arabian coasts of the Gulf of Aqaba and north Red Sea (Neom area) using an integrated taxonomic approach. The morphological distinctiveness of the new species is confirmed by molecular analyses. The species thrives in warm and high salinity waters typical of the Red Sea at bathyal depths. It can form colony aggregations on muddy bottoms with scattered, small hard substrates. Colonies are monopodial, feather-like, and attached to a hard substrate through a thorny basal plate. Pinnules are simple, arranged biserially and alternately, and all the same length (up to approximately 20 cm) except for few, proximal ones. Spines are triangular, laterally compressed, subequal, smooth, and simple or rarely bifurcated. Polyps are elongated transversely, 1.5–2.0 mm in transverse diameter. Large colonies can have one or few branches, whose origin is discussed. The phylogenetic position of B. thermophila sp. nov. within the order Antipatharia, recovered using three mitochondrial markers, shows that it is nested within the family Schizopathidae. It is close to species in the genera Parantipathes, Lillipathes, Alternatipathes, and Umbellapathes rather than to the other available representatives of the genus Bathypathes, as currently defined based on morphology. In agreement with previous findings, our results question the evolutionary significance of morphological characters traditionally used to discriminate Antipatharia at higher taxonomic level.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1114.85028

Authors: Peng Tian, Zhiyu Jia, Bingbing Cao, Wei Wang, Jiaguang Xiao, Wentao Niu

Abstract: In this study, the whole mitochondrial genomes of Physogyra lichtensteini and Plerogyra sinuosa have been sequenced for the first time. The length of their assembled mitogenome sequences were 17,286 bp and 17,586 bp, respectively, both including 13 protein-coding genes, two tRNAs, and two rRNAs. Their mitogenomes offered no distinct structure and their gene order were the same as other typical scleractinians. Based on 13 protein-coding genes, a maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis showed that Physogyra lichtensteini and Plerogyra sinuosa are clustered in the family Plerogyridae, which belongs to the “Robust” clade. The 13 tandem mitogenome PCG sequences used in this research can provide important molecular information to clarify the evolutionary relationships amongst stony corals, especially at the family level. On the other hand, more advanced markers and more species need to be used in the future to confirm the evolutionary relationships of all the scleractinians.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1113.82172

Authors: Guadalupe Bribiesca-Contreras, Thomas G. Dahlgren, Diva J. Amon, Stephen Cairns, Regan Drennan, Jennifer M. Durden, Marc P. Eléaume, Andrew M. Hosie, Antonina Kremenetskaia, Kirsty McQuaid, Timothy D. O’Hara, Muriel Rabone, Erik Simon-Lledó, Craig R. Smith, Les Watling, Helena Wiklund, Adrian G. Glover

Abstract: There is a growing interest in the exploitation of deep-sea mineral deposits, particularly on the abyssal seafloor of the central Pacific Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which is rich in polymetallic nodules. In order to effectively manage potential exploitation activities, a thorough understanding of the biodiversity, community structure, species ranges, connectivity, and ecosystem functions across a range of scales is needed. The benthic megafauna plays an important role in the functioning of deep-sea ecosystems and represents an important component of the biodiversity. While megafaunal surveys using video and still images have provided insight into CCZ biodiversity, the collection of faunal samples is needed to confirm species identifications to accurately estimate species richness and species ranges, but faunal collections are very rarely carried out. Using a Remotely Operated Vehicle, 55 specimens of benthic megafauna were collected from seamounts and abyssal plains in three Areas of Particular Environmental Interest (APEI 1, APEI 4, and APEI 7) at 3100–5100 m depth in the western CCZ. Using both morphological and molecular evidence, 48 different morphotypes belonging to five phyla were found, only nine referrable to known species, and 39 species potentially new to science. This work highlights the need for detailed taxonomic studies incorporating genetic data, not only within the CCZ, but in other bathyal, abyssal, and hadal regions, as representative genetic reference libraries that could facilitate the generation of species inventories.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1106.81364

Authors: Íris Sampaio, Lydia Beuck, André Freiwald

Abstract: Three species of the genus Swiftia are known for the NE Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) surveys and sampling on board RV Maria S. Merian during cruise MSM 16/3 ‘PHAETON’ in 2010 provided footage and specimens of octocorals off Mauritania. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) reveals, for the first time in taxonomy of octocorals, the three-dimensional arrangement of the sclerites in a polyp. Swiftia phaeton sp. nov. is described for the continental slope off Mauritania. This azooxanthellate octocoral is distinctive from NE Atlantic and Mediterranean congenerics by the dark red colour of the colonies (including the polyps), the presence of a layer of rod sclerites on top of the polyp mounds, and different sizes of polyps and sclerites. Using micro-CT has allowed the observation and imaging of a layer of sclerites that is distinct from other species of the same genus. ROV images revealed live records of S. phaeton sp. nov. in submarine canyons and on cold-water coral mounds in the upper-bathyal off Mauritania (396–639 m depth), mainly attached to dead coral, coral rubble, or rocks. The new species represents an extension of the genus distribution to the tropical latitudes (17°07'N and 20°14'N) of the NE Atlantic Ocean.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1103.84415

Authors: Morgan F. Bennett-Smith, Micaela S. Justo, Michael L. Berumen, Raquel Peixoto, Benjamin M. Titus

Abstract: Merten’s carpet sea anemone, Stichodactyla mertensii Brandt, 1835, is the largest known sea anemone species in the world, regularly exceeding one meter in oral disc diameter. A tropical species from the Indo-Pacific, S. mertensii drapes prominently over coral reef substrates and is a common host to numerous species of clownfishes and other symbionts throughout its range, which extends from the Red Sea through the Central Pacific Ocean. Long thought to reproduce via sexual reproduction only, recent genetic evidence suggests it may rarely reproduce asexually as well, although this process had never been confirmed through direct observation and the mechanism was yet to be described. Here, we directly observed and documented in situ asexual fragmentation via budding, in real time, by a Red Sea S. mertensii in a turbid inshore reef environment. While asexual reproduction is not unusual in sea anemones as a group, it is typically expected to be uncommon for large-bodied species. Herein, we describe S. mertensii fragmentation, provide high resolution images of the event from the Saudi Arabian coastline at multiple time points, and confirm asexual reproduction for this species.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1102.82228

Authors: Jen Nie Lee, Kee Alfian Abd Adzis, Lutfi Afiq-Rosli, Jani T. I. Tanzil, Albert Apollo Chan, Md Nizam Ismail, Khodzori Fikri Akmal, Yang Amri Affendi

Abstract: We present a comprehensive checklist of scleractinian (hard) corals for the Mersing Islands, Malaysia based on surveys conducted at 24 reefs across protected and unprotected marine areas. A total of 261 species of corals from 16 families and one incertae sedis (Pachyseris spp.) were recorded, along with ten records that are new for the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Compared against the IUCN Red List, 46.7% of coral species found in the Mersing Islands were of Least Concern (LC), 29.5% as Near Threatened (NT) and 16.4% Vulnerable (V). Only one recorded species, Pectinia maxima (Moll & Best, 1984), was listed as Endangered (EN). Baseline species diversity data are essential for the monitoring and management of marine biodiversity, especially within marine protected areas. With both protected and unprotected coral reef areas in the vicinity of the widely scattered Mersing Islands, the diversity and distribution of coral species can be used as the basis for area-based conservation and management strategies. The diversity and abundance of scleractinian corals of each island or area should be surveyed periodically to ensure the appropriate level of protection is afforded to retain scleractinian biodiversity in this region.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1089.77273

Authors: Tzu-Hsuan Tu, Chang-Feng Dai

Abstract: A molecular phylogenetic analysis of 132 octocoral species reveals a close relationship between specimens collected from the intertidal pools of the Datan Algal Reef, Taoyuan, Taiwan, and Erythropodium caribaeorum (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860), but the two species have distinct morphological features. On the basis of morphological differences in polyps and sclerites, we identify and describe a new Erythropodium species: E. taoyuanensis sp. nov. The distinct identifying features of E. taoyuanensis sp. nov. include the upright contractile polyps from thin encrusting membranes and abundant 6-radiate sclerites. Using an integrative approach, we present the findings of morphological comparisons and molecular phylogenetic analyses to demonstrate that E. taoyuanensis sp. nov. is distinct from other Erythropodium species. Our study contributes to the knowledge of octocoral biodiversity in marginal habitats.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1085.77924

Authors: Tatsuki Koido, Yukimitsu Imahara, Hironobu Fukami

Abstract: A new soft coral species, Xenia konohana sp. nov. (Alcyonacea, Xeniidae), is described from Miyazaki in the warm-temperate region of Japan. This new species has conspicuous and unique spindle sclerites in addition to the simple ellipsoid platelet-shaped sclerites typically found in the genus Xenia. These unique spindles are a specific key morphological characteristic for this new species and for differentiating this species among congeneric species.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1085.76484

Authors: Zhiwei Dong, Xingyue Liu, Chuyang Mao, Jinwu He, Xueyan Li

Abstract: Here we report a new twisted-wing parasite species of the family Xenidae based on both morphological and molecular evidence. By using nearly complete mitogenomes, we confirmed the twisted-wing parasites on two wasps (Vespa velutina and Vespa bicolor) (China: Yunnan) as the same species, and associated its neotenic females and alate males. Combining the mitogenomic data (COI) and morphological traits, this species was identified to be a new species of the genus Xenos, namely Xenos yangi Dong, Liu & Li, sp. nov. Detailed descriptions and illustrations are provided for the new species.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1076.69025

Authors: Takato Izumi, Takuma Fujii

Abstract: Edwardsianthus England, 1987 is a genus of Edwardsiidae, a family of burrowing and worm-like sea anemones characterized by lacking four mesenteries in the first cycle and containing only one type of nematocysts in nemathybomes. Until now, this genus has accommodated only two species since its establishment and has been recorded only from Indo-West Pacific regions. In this study, six species are reported from Japan: two are previously known species, E. pudicus (Klunzinger, 1877) and E. gilbertensis (Carlgren, 1931); four are new species, E. carbunculus sp. nov., E. sapphirus sp. nov., E. smaragdus sp. nov., and E. amethystus sp. nov. Based on these results, the diagnostic features of the genus are revised.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1066.69697

Authors: Zoleka N. Filander, Marcelo V. Kitahara, Stephen D. Cairns, Kerry J. Sink, Amanda T. Lombard

Abstract: Globally, South Africa ranks in the top five countries regarding marine species richness per unit area. Given the high diversity, it is not surprising that many invertebrate taxa in the region are poorly characterised. The South African azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Anthozoa) is one such taxonomic group, and was last reviewed by Boshoff in 1980. Although more recent regional publications have reported on some species, there has not been a faunistic review that accounts for the country’s species diversity since then. Moreover, numerous unidentified specimens representing more than three decades of sampling effort have accumulated. In this study the authors update the state of knowledge of South African azooxanthellate coral species. Specimens, particularly those within the extensive collections of the Iziko South African and Smithsonian museums, were morphologically examined and identified. Other data considered included historic data represented as imagery data, associated species data from recent research surveys, and the scientific literature. To date, the study has increased the total number of known species from 77 to 108 across eleven families, 28 new South African records, and three are new species with one new genus.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1052.71435

Authors: Bert W. Hoeksema

Abstract: none

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1040.62309

Authors: Hiroki Kise, Masami Obuchi, James Davis Reimer

Abstract: A new species of zoantharian within the genus Antipathozoanthus is described based on specimens collected from the coast of mainland Japan, northwest Pacific Ocean. Antipathozoanthus tubus sp. nov. is characterized by its substrate (epibiotic on polychaete tube) and habitat (exposed rock). As well, the results of molecular phylogenetic analyses using concatenated multiple genetic markers also support the distinction between A. tubus sp. nov. and its congenerics. Antipathozoanthus tubus sp. nov. is the first species of Antipathozoanthus species reported to be epibiotic on polychaete tubes, and is the second species in the genus that is not associated with antipatharians.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1032.63431

Authors: Odalisca Breedy, Leen van Ofwegen, Catherine S. McFadden, Catalina Murillo-Cruz

Abstract: Rhodolitica occulta gen. nov. et sp. nov. (Clavulariidae) is described from Cocos Island National Park, Pacific Ocean, Costa Rica. The species was found at various islets and rocky outcrops around the island, 20−55 m in depth. The genus is characterised by tubular, single, erect anthosteles interconnected by thin basal ribbon-like stolons on the surfaces of living rhodoliths. The anthosteles are devoid of fused sclerites, which are only present in the stolons. Coenenchymal sclerites are mostly spindles of various shapes, with a characteristic cylindrical warty type in the outer layer, crosses and radiates. Anthocodiae are armed with points, lacking collarets. Colonies and sclerites are red. Using an integrative taxonomic approach, we separate the new genus from similar genera through both morphological comparison and a molecular phylogenetic analysis. This research is a contribution to the knowledge of the octocoral biodiversity in Cocos Island and marine biodiversity in the eastern tropical Pacific.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1019.61789

Authors: Gary C. Williams

Abstract: The recently described deep-sea pennatulacean genus Porcupinella was previously known only by the type species, Porcupinella profunda from the equatorial eastern Atlantic to the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. New data is provided on morphology, distribution, bathymetry, and related taxa. A second species is added here as well – a new species is described from the Tasman Sea in the southwestern Pacific. The new species, Porcupinella tasmanica, is distinguished from P. profunda by its distinctive hook-shaped growth form, laterally compressed dorsal keel, and differing regions that are occupied by siphonozooids. A key to the species of the deep-sea pennatulacean family Chunellidae is included based on comparative morphology.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1017.50619

Authors: Osvaldo Hernández, Jaime Gomez-Gutiérrez, Carlos Sánchez

Abstract: Three new sea fan species of Leptogorgia were discovered during multiple scuba diving expeditions along the Gulf of California coast and islands. Leptogorgia iridis sp. nov. is distributed in the southern region of the gulf (Mexican Province), inhabiting tropical rocky reefs of the Islas Marías Archipelago (Nayarit) and Bahía Banderas (Jalisco). This species has small colonies (< 7 cm height) with at least five clearly distinct chromotypes. Leptogorgia martirensis sp. nov. was found exclusively on the rocky reefs of San Pedro Mártir and San Esteban Islands located in the northern region of the Gulf of California (northern region of Cortez Province). Leptogorgia enrici sp. nov. is distributed from the south to the northern region of the Gulf of California (Cortez Province), inhabiting substrates of rocky reefs, sandy and pebbly sea floors. Comprehensive ecological diving expeditions to identify and classify octocorals in the Mexican Pacific (1995–2019) indicate that L. iridis sp. nov. and L. martirensis sp. nov. are likely to be micro-endemics and L. enrici sp. nov. is endemic to the Gulf of California, which defines their currently known biogeographic distribution ranges.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.989.53104

Authors: Yu Xu, Zifeng Zhan, Kuidong Xu

Abstract: Explorations of seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean and South China Sea resulted in collecting 18 specimens of golden gorgonians. Based on the morphology and the genetic analysis of mtMutS, they are described as one new species, Chrysogorgia carolinensis sp. nov., and four known species, including Chrysogorgia dendritica Xu, Zhan & Xu, 2020, Metallogorgia melanotrichos (Wright & Studer, 1889), Metallogorgia macrospina Kükenthal, 1919, and Pseudochrysogorgia bellona Pante & France, 2010. Chrysogorgia carolinensis belongs to the Chrysogorgia “group A, Spiculosae” with rods or spindles distributed in the polyp-body wall and tentacles, and differs from all of its congeners except C. dendritica by the 1/3L branching sequence and amoeba-shaped sclerites at the basal polyp body. The mtMutS sequence of C. carolinensis sp. nov. has six deletion mutations compared to those of its congeners, supporting the establishment of the new species. Although no genetic variability was observed between the closely related species C. dendritica and C. abludo Pante & Watling, 2012, the former is different from the latter by the apparently irregular sclerites in the polyp body wall. The two specimens of Metallogorgia melanotrichos match well with the original description except for relatively larger polyps, while the M. macrospina specimens have slightly smaller polyps than the holotype. The juvenile of Metallogorgia has an obvious morphological difference with the adults in the colony shape and branches, but they can be unified by the same polyps and sclerites as well as mitochondrial MutS sequences. Thus, the generic diagnosis of Metallogorgia is slightly extended to include the morphology of juveniles. The morphology of Pseudochrysogorgia bellona Pante & France, 2010, as a new record for the South China Sea, matches well with that of the original description. In the phylogenetic trees, the Chrysogorgia species are separated into two clades, and while Metallogorgia and Pseudochrysogorgia formed a sister clade.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.984.56380

Authors: Clarissa Garbi Molinari, Maximiliano Manuel Maronna, André Carrara Morandini

Abstract: The order Coronatae (Scyphozoa) includes six families, of which Nausithoidae Haeckel, 1880 is the most diverse with 26 species. Along the Brazilian coast, three species of the genus Nausithoe Kölliker, 1853 have been recorded: Nausithoe atlantica Broch, 1914, Nausithoe punctata Kölliker, 1853, and Nausithoe aurea Silveira & Morandini, 1997. Living polyps (n = 9) of an unidentified nausithoid were collected in September 2002 off Arraial do Cabo (Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil) at a depth of 227 m, and have been kept in culture since then. We compared these specimens with three species cultured in our laboratory: Nausithoe aurea (from Ilhabela, São Paulo, Brazil), Nausithoe maculata Jarms, 1990 (from Cuba and Puerto Rico), and Nausithoe werneri Jarms, 1990 (from the Atlantic Ocean off Morocco and from the Mediterranean Sea). The criteria used for comparison were: main aspects of the morphology, life cycle, and DNA sequences (18S, 28S, and COI). The results indicate that the unidentified polyps belong to N. werneri. Furthermore, N. aurea is considered a junior synonym of N. maculata.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.961.54846

Authors: Odalisca Breedy, Hector M. Guzman

Abstract: The species of the genus Psammogorgia Verrill, 1868 from the shallow waters of the tropical eastern Pacific were mainly described from 1846 to 1870. Very few contributions were published subsequently. Recently, the genus was revisited with the addition of two new species. However, a comprehensive generic study is still missing for the eastern Pacific. Psammogorgia is characterised by having axes cores without mineralisation, mainly coarse irregular spindles and thorny, leafy or tuberculate clubs coenenchymal sclerites and the anthocodial armature with distinct collaret and points arrangements. Herein a taxonomic revision of the genus is presented based on type material which was morphologically analysed and illustrated using optical and scanning electron microscopy. Comparative character tables are provided for comparison among species in the genus, along with a taxonomic key. Moreover, the taxonomic status of each species was analysed. The genus Psammogorgia comprises six valid species and two varieties, and three lectotypes and a new combination are proposed to establish the taxonomic status of these species.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.952.50617

Authors: Sérgio N. Stampar, James D. Reimer, Maximiliano M. Maronna, Celine S. S. Lopes, Hellen Ceriello, Thais B. Santos, Fabián H. Acuña, André C. Morandini

Abstract: The diversity of Ceriantharia is known from studies formally describing species from the late 18th Century onwards. However, no nomenclators including a list and discussion of all valid species have been produced since a list discussed by Carlgren in 1912. The present nomenclator presents a complete list of adult species of Ceriantharia of the World, including a discussion on each species. It includes the three families (Arachnactidae, Botrucnidiferidae, Cerianthidae) and the currently accepted 54 species based on their adult form. This study serves as a presentation of the “state-of-the-art” list of species of Ceriantharia, and includes a species identification key to support taxonomic identification. Additional in-depth species-by-species investigations for almost all cerianthid species is still needed, as the information available for most of these species is quite superficial.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.918.51123

Authors: Yee Wah Lau, Frank R. Stokvis, Leen van Ofwegen, James D. Reimer

Abstract: This is an addendum to the availability of the generic name Hana Lau, Stokvis, Ofwegen & Reimer, 2018 within the octocoral family Arulidae. Here, the replacement name Hanah is proposed, as Hana Lau, Stokvis, Ofwegen & Reimer, 2018 is a junior homonym to senior homonym Hana Kukalova-Peck, 1975, a genus within the family Hanidae of the Palaeozoic insect order Megasecoptera.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.912.46898

Authors: Tatiana E. Peretolchina, Igor V. Khanaev, Ilya V. Enushchenko, Dmitry Y. Sherbakov, Lyubov S. Kravtsova

Abstract: In this paper, molecular analyses of Baikal hydras from the ‘oligactis group’, based on COI and ITS1–5.8S–ITS2, and morphological analysis of their holotrichous isorhizas, were performed. Low genetic diversity and shared haplotypes were found between Hydra oligactis Pallas, 1766 and Hydra baikalensis Swarczewsky, 1923 specimens, which is evidence of the mixing of these lineages. Genetic distances among all Baikal hydras (0.006) were less than the interspecific distances of other hydras. The size of hydras and proportions of their holotrichous isorhizas varied depending on microhabitat and environmental conditions. Our combined molecular and morphological approach proves that H. baikalensis is synonymous with H. oligactis

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.900.38850

Authors: Sho Toshino, Miyako Tanimoto, Ryo Minemizu

Abstract: A new hydromedusa belonging to the order Limnomedusae is reported from the Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan. Olindias deigo sp. nov. can be distinguished from other Olindiidae species by the number and color of tentacles. Mature medusae of O. deigo sp. nov. were collected to observe the life history, including polyp (hydroid) and medusa formation. A comparative table of the primary diagnostic characters of the genus is provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.881.34759

Authors: Yu Xu, Yang Li, Zifeng Zhan, Kuidong Xu

Abstract: Two new species of Chrysogorgia Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 collected from Kocebu Guyot in the Magellan seamounts of the Pacific Ocean are described and illustrated: Chrysogorgia ramificans sp. nov. collected from a depth of 1831 m and Chrysogorgia binata sp. nov. collected from a depth of 1669 m. Chrysogorgia ramificans sp. nov. belongs to the Chrysogorgia “group A, Spiculosae” with rods distributed in body wall and tentacles, and C. binata sp. nov. belongs to the “group C, Squamosae typicae” with rods and/or spindles not present but only scales. Chrysogorgia ramificans sp. nov. differs from congeners by its main stem with 2/5R branching sequence at the bottom forming two large bottlebrush-shaped branches with 1/3R branching sequence at the top. Chrysogorgia binata sp. nov. is similar to C. scintillans Bayer & Stefani, 1988, but differs by its larger polyps, larger sclerites in the body wall, and different scales in the upper part of polyps. The mtMutS genetic distances between C. ramificans sp. nov. and C. binata sp. nov. and congeners are in the range of 0.33%–2.28% and 0.33%–2.94%, respectively, while the intraspecific distances are in the range of 0–0.16%. Molecular phylogenetic analysis indicates that C. ramificans sp. nov. is clustered with C. monticola Cairns, 2007 and C. binata sp. nov. is clustered with C. chryseis Bayer & Stefani, 1988, both with high support indicating close relationships.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.874.35835

Authors: Celine S. S. Lopes, Hellen Ceriello, André C. Morandini, Sérgio N. Stampar

Abstract: The present study presents a revision of the genus Ceriantheomorphe Carlgren, 1931, including redescriptions of the two presently recognized species, Ceriantheomorphe ambonensis (Kwietniewski, 1898) and Ceriantheomorphe brasiliensis (Mello-Leitão, 1919), comb. nov., and a description of the new species Ceriantheomorphe adelita sp. nov.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.872.36288

Authors: Yee Wah Lau, James D. Reimer

Abstract: Sabah, Malaysia, is well known for its extensive and diverse coral reefs. It is located on the northwestern edge of the Coral Triangle, the region with the highest marine biodiversity. Much of the marine fauna here is still unknown, especially inconspicuous animals, such as small stoloniferous octocorals, which are common on coral reefs. Here, we describe two new monospecific genera of the family Arulidae found off the coast of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, East Malaysia; Bunga payung gen. nov. et sp. nov. and Laeta waheedae gen. nov. et sp. nov. As well, the stoloniferan genus Phenganax Alderslade & McFadden, 2011 belonging to the family Clavulariidae is expanded with three new species, P. marumi sp. nov., P. subtilis sp. nov., and P. stokvisi sp. nov., which are all sclerite-free. Additionally, we report a possibly undescribed species, closely related to the clavulariid genera Azoriella Lopez-Gonzalez & Gili, 2001 and Cervera Lopez-Gonzalez et al., 1995. As this and other recent studies have shown, discoveries of small stoloniferous octocorals are helping to fill gaps in our knowledge of the overall systematics of Octocorallia.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.870.35285

Authors: Íris Sampaio, Marina Carreiro-Silva, André Freiwald, Gui Menezes, Manfred Grasshoff

Abstract: Mapping biodiversity is the marathon of the 21st Century as an answer to the present extinction crisis. A century in which science is also characterised by large scientific datasets collected through new technologies aiming to fill gaps in our knowledge of species distributions. However, most species records rely on observations that are not linked to specimens, which does not allow verification of species hypotheses by other scientists. Natural history museums form a verifiable source of biodiversity records which were made by taxonomists. Nonetheless, these museums seem to be forgotten by biologists in scientific fields other than taxonomy or systematics. Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NBC) in Leiden is care keeper of large collections of marine organisms, which were sampled in the Northeast Atlantic during the CANCAP and Tyro Mauritania II expeditions (1976–1988). Many octocorals were sampled and deposited in the NBC collection, where they became available for study and were partially identified by the senior author (M.G.) in the 1980s. Nonetheless, no checklist or taxonomic revision was published so far with the complete results. In 2016 the first author visited NBC to examine NE Atlantic Plexauridae octocorals. Plexauridae octocoral-vouchered records were listed and mapped to reveal high standard primary biodiversity records unreported so far for the NE Atlantic Ocean. Twenty-four Plexauridae species with ~ six putative new species to science were discovered and eleven new biogeographical records were made from distinct Macaronesian archipelagos. Finally, new depth range records were found for three species at sea basin level and for eight species at a regional scale.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.862.31979

Authors: Tatsuki Koido, Yukimitsu Imahara, Hironobu Fukami

Abstract: The soft coral family Xeniidae, commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions, consists of 20 genera and 162 species. To date, few studies on this family have been conducted in Japan, especially at higher latitudes. Although molecular phylogenetic analyses have recently been used to distinguish soft coral species, it is difficult to identify species and genera in this family due to the limited taxonomic indices and high morphological variation. In this study, we found a large Xeniidae community off the coast of Oshima Island (31°31.35'N, 131°24.27'E) at Miyazaki, Kyushu Island, located in the temperate region of Japan. The species composition and molecular phylogenetic relationships were investigated to uncover the species diversity of Xeniidae in this community. A total of 182 xeniid specimens were collected and identified to the species level, after which the samples were molecularly analyzed using a mitochondrial marker (ND2) and a nuclear marker (ITS) to infer the phylogenetic relationships. A total of 14 xeniid species were identified, including five undescribed species from five genera (Anthelia, Heteroxenia, Sympodium, Xenia, and Yamazatum). Miyazaki was identified as having the highest xeniid species diversity in Japan. The molecular phylogenetic trees inferred from each marker recovered very similar topologies: four genera (Anthelia, Heteroxenia, Sympodium, and Yamazatum) were monophyletic, whereas one (Xenia) was polyphyletic. Thus, except for Xenia, the morphological characteristics used for traditional taxonomy well reflected the phylogeny of the Xeniidae at the genus level. On the other hand, our results show that further taxonomic revisions of Xenia are needed.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.860.34317

Authors: Elizabeth Anne Horvath

Abstract: Alcyonacean (Gorgonian) coral species from Holaxonia (not previously reviewed in this three-part work), family Plexauridae, as well as species in Calcaxonia were reviewed. Specimens examined were collected from the California Bight and adjacent areas, many now held in the research collection of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH). The collection has incorporated numerous specimens collected by the Allan Hancock Foundation (AHF) ‘Velero’ Expeditions of 1931–1941 and 1948–1985. This historic collection displays an emphasis on species belonging to the Holaxonia, particularly gorgoniids and plexaurids. This third part of the larger work presented a thorough, in-depth discussion of at least one genus (Swiftia Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) in the Plexauridae found within the California Bight that has generated some taxonomic confusion; in that discussion are comments on other genera (such as Psammogorgia Verrill, 1868a, to which several species had been previously ascribed). The discussion of Swiftia includes description of a morphological trend (encompassing colony form, color and sclerite form), likely influenced by geography and ecology, not noted or discussed previously. Additionally, a preliminary discussion of the genus (Thesea Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860) was presented; this genus, both historically and currently, has not been fully examined in California waters. Finally, a short review was given for the few species of Calcaxonia represented in the SBMNH research collection. This paper, Part III of the full review, continued and concludes the systematic examination of species represented in the SBMNH research collection begun in Part I, continued in Part II, focusing on all species of gorgonian coral held in the SBMNH research collection, known to currently inhabit the California Bight and adjacent areas.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.860.19961

Authors: Elizabeth Anne Horvath

Abstract: Gorgonian specimens collected from the California Bight (northeastern Pacific Ocean) and adjacent areas held in the collection of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) were reviewed and evaluated for species identification; much of this material is of historic significance as a large percentage of the specimens were collected by the Allan Hancock Foundation (AHF) ‘Velero’ Expeditions of 1931–1941 and 1948–1985. Examination and reorganization of this collection began early in 2002; initially, it was estimated that at most, twelve to fifteen species of gorgonian could be found within the Bight. Following collection evaluation, it was determined that at a minimum, approximately twenty three genera, encompassing some forty-plus species, of gorgonian coral have been found living within the California Bight region, often extending some distance into adjacent geographical areas both north and south. All species from the California Bight in the collection are discussed to some degree (in three separate parts, this being Part I), with digital images of both colony form and sclerite composition provided for most. Collection specimens from the suborders and families covered in Part I are not extensive, but several genera are featured that have not been previously reported for the California Bight region. Additionally, a potential new species (genus Sibogagorgia Stiasny, 1937) from the Paragorgiidae is described in Part I. Overall, the collection displays an emphasis on species belonging to the Holaxonia, particularly the plexaurids. A brief discussion of a California Bight grouping, referred to as the “red whips,” is presented in Part II; this grouping encompasses several species with very similar colony appearance across a number of genera. A new species (a whip or thread-like form) in the genus Eugorgia Verrill, 1868, belonging to the Gorgoniidae, is described in Part II. The genus Swiftia Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 is one of the most challenging taxon groups represented; those species in the genus Swiftia collected within the California Bight are discussed fully, based on SBMNH (and other) specimens in Part III. Scanning electron microscopy images for species of Swiftia from the California coast have rarely, if ever, been published and are included, with a discussion of the geographic range of the genus in the eastern Pacific, from the southern boundary of the California Bight to the Bering Sea, Alaska. Finally, specimens of the genus Thesea Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860, displaying a whip or thread-like body form, are discussed at a preliminary level in Part III; they also presented challenges to a clear understanding of their taxonomy. While Part I focuses on species of Scleraxonia and those of the Holaxonia in the Acanthogorgiidae family held in the SBMNH collection, all three parts taken together represent the first comprehensive work that reviews the research collection of SBMNH, which focuses on species of gorgonian coral known to inhabit the California Bight.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.860.33597

Authors: Elizabeth Anne Horvath

Abstract: Gorgonian coral specimens from the Holaxonia, families Gorgoniidae and Plexauridae held in the collection of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) were reviewed and evaluated for species identification. The specimens were collected from within, and adjacent areas of, the California Bight. The SBMNH collection has encompassed within it a large percentage of specimens collected by the Allan Hancock Foundation (AHF) ‘Velero’ Expeditions of 1931–1941 and 1948–1985. This historic collection displays an emphasis on species belonging to the Holaxonia, particularly the gorgoniids and plexaurids; thus, this second part presents a thorough discussion of well-known genera from within the California Bight, with more extensive discussions of several genera that have historically, and currently, led to confusion (and thus, misidentification). A brief discussion of a California Bight grouping, referred to within as the “red whips,” is presented; this grouping encompasses several species with very similar colony appearance across a number of genera. Two species, the gorgoniid Leptogorgia chilensis (Verrill, 1868) and the plexaurid Chromoplexaura marki (Kükenthal, 1913) each required the designation of a neotype from within the collection. A new species in the genus Eugorgia Verrill, 1868, a whip or thread-like form belonging to the family Gorgoniidae, is described. One additional plexaurid genus (Placogorgia) is discussed, a genus not commonly reported for the California Bight region. This is the first comprehensive work, in three parts, focusing on all species of gorgonian coral known to inhabit the California Bight. This paper, Part II of the full work, continues the systematic review of all species represented in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History research collection begun in Part I.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.849.34763

Authors: Anthony D. Montgomery, Douglas Fenner, Robert J. Toonen

Abstract: An annotated checklist of the stony corals (Scleractinia, Milleporidae, Stylasteridae, and Helioporidae) of American Sāmoa is presented. A total of 377 valid species has been reported from American Sāmoa with 342 species considered either present (251) or possibly present (91). Of these 342 species, 66 have a recorded geographical range extension and 90 have been reported from mesophotic depths (30–150 m). Additionally, four new species records (Acanthastrea subechinata Veron, 2000, Favites paraflexuosus Veron, 2000, Echinophyllia echinoporoides Veron & Pichon, 1980, Turbinaria irregularis Bernard, 1896) are presented. Coral species of concern include species listed under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of threatened species. Approximately 17.5% of the species present or possibly present are categorized as threatened by IUCN compared to 27% of the species globally. American Sāmoa has seven ESA-listed or ESA candidate species, including Acropora globiceps (Dana, 1846), Acropora jacquelineae Wallace, 1994, Acropora retusa (Dana, 1846), Acropora speciosa (Quelch, 1886), Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa (Veron, 1990), Isopora crateriformis (Gardiner, 1898), and Pocillopora meandrina Dana, 1846. There are two additional species possibly present, i.e., Pavona diffluens (Lamarck, 1816) and Porites napopora Veron, 2000.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.840.31390

Authors: Nicholas Wei Liang Yap, Ria Tan, Clara Lei Xin Yong, Koh Siang Tan, Danwei Huang

Abstract: Despite the ubiquity of sea anemones (Cnidaria: Actiniaria) in tropical ecosystems, our understanding of their biodiversity and taxonomy is limited. Here we re-establish the identity of an intertidal zooxanthellate species, Phymanthus pinnulatus Martens in Klunzinger, 1877. Originally described from a single preserved specimen in the Berlin Museum by CB Klunzinger, his brief footnote lacked crucial details to positively identify the species. Our redescription is based on more than 50 living individuals of P. pinnulatus collected from its type locality, Singapore. These were examined and compared with type materials of the species and its congeners. Specimens of P. pinnulatus differ from syntypes of species described as Phymanthus levis Kwietniewski, 1898 from Indonesia, as well as Phymanthus sansibaricus Carlgren, 1900 and Phymanthus strandesi Carlgren, 1900, both described from East Africa. Phymanthus pinnulatus was encountered on the lower intertidal, among coral rubble and between rocky crevices. It is vibrantly coloured and has 96 marginal tentacles with branching outgrowths along each, resulting in a ‘frilly’ appearance. The anemone has a flat expanded oral disc, with discal tentacles that are inconspicuous and reduced, unlike syntypes of its congeners. Details of its live appearance, musculature, and cnidom are also provided for the first time. Overall, types of cnidae and capsule sizes differ from other known species of Phymanthus documented elsewhere. It is inferred that P. pinnulatus has a wide distribution that extends eastwards from Singapore, as far as Ambon and the Torres Straits. Some individuals reported as Phymanthus muscosus Haddon and Shackleton, 1893 and Phymanthus buitendijki Pax, 1924 are probably P. pinnulatus. This morphological analysis provides new insights into the characters used to delimit P. pinnulatus, clarifies its geographical distribution, and contributes to an ongoing revision of the genus Phymanthus.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.822.29922

Authors: Stephen D. Cairns, Michelle L. Taylor

Abstract: A history of the description of the 50 valid species of Narella is given, beginning with the first species described in 1860. To help differentiate the various species, a tabular and a polychotomous key are provided. The species in the keys are arranged using nine characters or character sets that are believed to be of value at the species level. New characters or new significance given to previously described characters used in our keys include: 1) the nature of the dorsolateral edge of the basal scale, being ridged or not, 2) the thickness of the body wall scales, and 3) the arrangement of the coenenchymal scales (imbricate or mosaic), their thickness (thin or massive), and their outer surface ornamentation (ridged or not). All characters used in the keys are illustrated.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.794.25243

Authors: Takato Izumi, Toshihiko Fujita

Abstract: Scolanthus is one genus of Edwardsiidae, a speciose family of burrowing worm-like sea anemones characterized by lacking a physa-like aboral end and by possessing nemathybomes on the whole body except at the distal end. This genus has been recorded worldwide, but there have been no specimens collected from Japan. In this study, we discovered four Scolanthus species in Japan for the first time: Scolanthus armatus (Carlgren, 1931) and Scolanthus kopepe sp. n. from the Ogasawara Islands, Scolanthus ena sp. n. from Ena Bay, Kanagawa, and Scolanthus isei sp. n. from Sugashima Island, Mie.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.793.28977

Authors: Wentao Niu, Shuangen Yu, Peng Tian, Jiaguang Xiao

Abstract: Lack of mitochondrial genome data of Scleractinia is hampering progress across genetic, systematic, phylogenetic, and evolutionary studies concerning this taxon. Therefore, in this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the stony coral Echinophyllia aspera (Ellis & Solander, 1786), has been decoded for the first time by next generation sequencing and genome assembly. The assembled mitogenome is 17,697 bp in length, containing 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), two transfer RNAs and two ribosomal RNAs. It has the same gene content and gene arrangement as in other Scleractinia. All genes are encoded on the same strand. Most of the PCGs use ATG as the start codon except for ND2, which uses ATT as the start codon. The A+T content of the mitochondrial genome is 65.92% (25.35% A, 40.57% T, 20.65% G, and 13.43% for C). Bayesian and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis have been performed using PCGs, and the result shows that E. aspera clustered closely with Sclerophyllia maxima (Sheppard & Salm, 1988), both of which belong to Lobophylliidae, when compared with species belonging to Merulinidae and other scleractinian taxa used as outgroups. The complete mitogenome of E. aspera provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses of corals.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.791.28775

Authors: Mercedes Conradi, Eugenia Bandera, Sofya V. Mudrova, Viatcheslav N. Ivanenko

Abstract: Spaniomolgus is a symbiotic genus of copepods of the poecilostomatoid family Rhynchomolgidae and is known to be associated with shallow-water reef-building hermatypic corals. Three species of this genus were previously found only in washings of Acropora and Stylophora in northern Madagascar. Four coral morphotypes of Stylophora pistillata (Pocilloporidae) were collected by SCUBA at 1 to 28 m depth in five sites in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea in 2013. Copepods found on these colonies were studied using light, confocal and scanning electron microscopy. Five new, and one known, species of the genus Spaniomolgus were discovered in washings and inside the galls of the hermatypic coral S. pistillata. The description of these new species (Spaniomolgus globus sp. n., S. stylophorus sp. n., S. dentatus sp. n., S. maculatus sp. n., and S. acutus sp. n.) and a key for the identification of all of its congeners is provided herein.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.790.28875

Authors: Yee Wah Lau, Frank Robert Stokvis, Leendert Pieter van Ofwegen, James Davis Reimer

Abstract: A new genus and two new species of stoloniferous octocorals (Alcyonacea) within the family Arulidae are described based on specimens collected from Okinawa (Japan), Palau and Dongsha Atoll (Taiwan). Hana gen. n. is erected within Arulidae. Hana hanagasa sp. n. is characterised by large spindle-like table-radiates and Hana hanataba sp. n. is characterised by having ornamented rods. The distinction of these new taxa is also supported by molecular phylogenetic analyses. The support values resulting from maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses for the genus Hana and new species H. hanagasa and H. hanataba are 82/1.0, 97/1.0 and 61/0.98, respectively. Hana hanagasa sp. n. and Hana hanataba sp. n. are the first arulid records for Okinawa, Palau, and Dongsha Atoll, and represent species of the second genus within the family Arulidae.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.783.26862

Authors: Julian Uribe-Palomino, Sarah Pausina, Lisa-ann Gershwin

Abstract: Two new species of small hydromedusae were found during routine monitoring in coastal waters of eastern Australia and are here described. The first, Melicertissa antrichardsoni Uribe-Palomino & Gershwin, sp. n., from Moreton Bay, Queensland, is placed in its genus because of its possession of both cordyli and eight-fold symmetry. It differs from its congeners in two conspicuous features: firstly, having small, oval split gonads located adjacent to the base of the stomach, and secondly, in its extremely small size at maturity (2 mm bell diameter, compared to the next smallest species at 7 mm). Moreover, it possesses a unique combination of other characters. This species appears to be endemic to Moreton Bay. The second new species, Paralovenia yongalensis Gershwin & Uribe-Palomino, sp. n., from the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, is placed in its genus because of its two opposite normal tentacles and two opposite marginal clusters of cirri. It differs from its congeners primarily in a more rounded body than the others; the shape, length, and position of its short spindle-shaped, distal gonads; possession of subumbrellar nematocyst clusters; and possession of statocysts. These discoveries bring the total number of Melicertissa species to eight and the total number of Paralovenia species to three. The discovery of these two micromedusae underscores the need for further examination of the often-ignored minute and/or gelatinous fauna.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.754.23368

Authors: Yehuda Benayahu, Leen P. van Ofwegen, Catherine S. McFadden

Abstract: Several species of the family Xeniidae, previously assigned to the genus Cespitularia Milne Edwards & Haime, 1850 are revised. Based on the problematical identity and status of the type of this genus, it became apparent that the literature has introduced misperceptions concerning its diagnosis. A consequent examination of the type colonies of Cespitularia coerulea May, 1898 has led to the establishment of the new genus Conglomeratusclera gen. n. and similarly to the assignment of Cespitularia simplex Thomson & Dean, 1931 to the new genus, Caementabunda gen. n. Both new genera are described and depicted and both feature unique sclerite morphology, further highlighting the importance of sclerite microstructure for generic position among Xeniidae. Freshly collected material was subjected to molecular phylogenetic analysis, whose results substantiated the taxonomic assignment of the new genera, as well as the synonymies of several others.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.748.22914

Authors: Sérgio N. Stampar, Suraia O. El Didi, Gustav Paulay, Michael L. Berumen

Abstract: A new species of the genus Arachnanthus (Cnidaria: Ceriantharia), Arachnanthus lilith Stampar & El Didi, sp. n., is described. This species is widely distributed in the Red Sea, and recorded from 2–30 m depths. Arachnanthus lilith Stampar & El Didi, sp. n. is the fifth species of the genus and the first recorded from the Red Sea. The number of labial tentacle pseudocycles, arrangement of mesenteries, and distribution of acontioids allow the differentiation of the new species from other species of the genus.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.735.23890

Authors: Stephen D. Cairns

Abstract: none

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.729.21779

Authors: Stephen D. Cairns

Abstract: Thirteen species of deep-water calcaxonian octocorals belonging to the families Primnoidae, Chrysogorgiidae, and Isididae collected from off the Galápagos and Cocos Islands are described and figured. Seven of these species are described as new; nine of the 13 are not known outside the Galápagos region. Of the four species occurring elsewhere, two also occur in the eastern Pacific, one off Hawaii, and one from off Antarctica. A key to the 22 Indo-Pacific species of Callogorgia is provided to help distinguish those species.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.725.21006

Authors: Hiroki Kise, Takuma Fujii, Giovanni Diego Masucci, Piera Biondi, James Davis Reimer

Abstract: In this study, three new species of macrocnemic zoantharians (Hexacorallia, Zoantharia) are described from localities in the Indo-Pacific Ocean including the Red Sea, the Maldives, Palau, and southern Japan: Antipathozoanthus obscurus sp. n., A. remengesaui sp. n., and A. cavernus sp. n. Although the genus Antipathozoanthus is currently restricted to species living on antipatharians, A. obscurus sp. n. is not associated with any living substrate and instead is found on coral reef carbonate substrate within narrow caves or cracks. The two new species that have association with antipatharians, A. remengesaui sp. n. and A. cavernus sp. n., can be distinguished by their relative coenenchyme development and the antipatharian species that each uses as substrate. Additionally, all new species described in this study have unique nuclear internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA (ITS-rDNA) sequences. Our results indicate that more phylogenetic studies focusing on increasing the numbers of species examined within each of the genera of Parazoanthidae are required in order to better understand the evolutionary history of substrate specificity within the family Parazoanthidae.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.711.14753

Authors: Daniela A. Lopes, Delir Corrêa Gomes, Marcelo Knoff

Abstract: The third part of the catalogue of type material in the Helminthological Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute/FIOCRUZ (CHIOC), comprising types deposited between 1979 and 2016, is presented to complement the first list of all types that was published in 1979. This part encompasses Acanthocephala, Nematoda and the other non-helminth phyla Cnidaria, Annelida, and Arthropoda. Platyhelminthes was covered in the first (Monogenoidea) and second (RhabditophoraTrematoda and Cestoda) parts of the catalogue published in September 2016 and March 2017, respectively. The present catalogue comprises type material for 116 species distributed across five phyla, nine classes, 50 families, and 80 genera. Specific names are listed systematically, followed by type host, infection site, type locality, and specimens with their collection numbers and references. Species classification and nomenclature are updated.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.706.19848

Authors: Zachary B. Hancock, Janelle A. Goeke, Mary K. Wicksten

Abstract: Diadumene lineata (Actiniaria: Diadumenidae) is a prolific invader of coastal environments around the world. First described from Asia, this sea anemone has only been reported once from the western Gulf of Mexico at Port Aransas, Texas. No subsequent sampling has located this species at this locality. The first record of the reappearance of D. lineata on the Texas coast from three locations in the Galveston Bay area is provided, and its geographic distribution and taxonomic history reviewed.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.680.12727

Authors: Yehuda Benayahu, Catherine S. McFadden, Erez Shoham

Abstract: This communication describes a new octocoral, Altumia delicata gen. n. & sp. n. (Octocorallia: Clavulariidae), from mesophotic reefs of Eilat (northern Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea). This species lives on dead antipatharian colonies and on artificial substrates. It has been recorded from deeper than 60 m down to 140 m and is thus considered to be a lower mesophotic octocoral. It has no sclerites and features no symbiotic zooxanthellae. The new genus is compared to other known sclerite-free octocorals. Molecular phylogenetic analyses place it in a clade with members of families Clavulariidae and Acanthoaxiidae, and for now we assign it to the former, based on colony morphology. The polyphyletic family Clavulariidae is, however, in need of a thorough revision once the morphological distinctions among its phylogenetically distinct clades are better understood.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.676.12751

Authors: Yehuda Benayahu, Catherine S. McFadden, Erez Shoham, Leen P. van Ofwegen

Abstract: An octocoral survey conducted in the mesophotic coral ecosystem (MCE) of Eilat (Gulf of Aqaba, northern Red Sea) yielded a new species of the speciose reef-dwelling genus Sinularia. It features encrusting colony morphology with a thin, funnel-shaped polypary. Sinularia mesophotica sp. n. (family Alcyoniidae) is described and compared to the other congeners with similar morphology. Both the morphological and molecular examination justified the establishment of the new species, also assigning it to a new genetic clade within Sinularia. The results highlight its unique phylogenetic position within the genus, and this is the first described species of a mesophotic zooxanthellate octocoral.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.668.12203

Authors: Stephen D. Cairns, Ralf T. S. Cordeiro

Abstract: A new genus and species of unbranched golden coral, Flagelligorgia gracilis, is described based on several specimens collected off the southeastern coast of the United States. The genus is provisionally included in the family Chrysogorgiidae, pending molecular confirmation. Flagelligorgia morphologically resembles other unbranched chrysogorgiids, such as Distichogorgia, Chalcogorgia, Helicogorgia and Radicipes, to which it is compared. The type species is illustrated and its distribution mapped.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.662.11454

Authors: Andrew H. Baird, Mia O. Hoogenboom, Danwei Huang

Abstract: A new zooxanthellate reef-dwelling scleractinian coral species, Cyphastrea salae sp. n. (Scleractinia, Merulinidae), is described from Lord Howe Island Australia. The new species can be distinguished morphologically from the only other congeneric species on Lord Howe Island, C. microphthalma, by the number of primary septa (12 vs. 10) and the much taller corallites (mean ± SE: 1.0 ± 0.07 mm v 0.4 ± 0.04 mm). The relationship of C. salae to four of the other eleven currently accepted species in the genus was explored through analyses of nuclear (28S rDNA) and mitochondrial (noncoding intergenic region) gene sequences. Cyphastrea salae sp. n. forms a strongly supported clade that is distinct from a clade containing three species found commonly in Australia, C. chalcidicum, C. serailia, and C. microphthalma. One specimen was also found in the Solitary Islands, another high latitude location in south-eastern Australia. The discovery of a new species in the genus Cyphastrea on high latitude reefs in south-eastern Australia suggests that other new species might be found among more diverse genera represented here and that the scleractinian fauna of these isolated locations is more distinct than previously recognised.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.641.10346

Authors: Martyn E.Y. Low, Frederic Sinniger, James Davis Reimer

Abstract: Many supraspecific zoantharian names have long and complicated histories. The present list is provided to advise researchers on the current state of supraspecific nomenclature of the zoantharians, particularly given the recent attention paid to the taxonomy, phylogeny, and biodiversity of this order. At the same time, several taxonomic issues brought to light by recent research are resolved. Details on the taxonomic and nomenclatural history of most groups are provided, along with appendices of invalid supraspecific names.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.629.10828

Authors: Odalisca Breedy, Hector M. Guzman

Abstract: The genus Muricea is considered abundant and widely distributed along the eastern Pacific. Its occurrence in shallow waters has been recognised; however species from deeper than 30 m have been rarely recorded. During the 2005 R/V Urracá expedition along the north and central Pacific coast of Costa Rica several octocoral specimens were collected by bottom trawling from 30 to 150 m yielding new species and new records. Herein we describe a new species of Muricea from deeper than 30 m. The morphological characters of the species were analysed and illustrated by optic and scanning electron microscopy. Muricea subtilis sp. n. can be distinguished from the other species in the genus by its thin spiny branches, non-imbricate calyces, white colony and sclerites, and the size and composition of sclerites. Comparative character tables are provided for the closest Muricea species-group. This new species increases the number in the genus to 26, and contributes to the knowledge on the diversity and distribution of mesophotic soft corals in the eastern Pacific.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.623.10045

Authors: Kaveh Samimi-Namin, Leen P. van Ofwegen, Catherine S. McFadden

Abstract: A new species, Melithaea davidi sp. n., is described from the eastern coast of Oman, Oman Sea, in the northwestern Indian Ocean, where it differs from its congeners in lacking capstans and having predominantly spindles in the coenenchyme. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of mtMutS and 28S rDNA genes suggests that it is genetically distinct from similar species in the Red Sea. Furthermore, a species previously reported as Acabaria sp. from the Arabian Sea is now identified as Melithaea mabahissi (Hickson, 1940).

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.619.10086

Authors: Íris Sampaio, Frank Stokvis, Leen P. van Ofwegen

Abstract: Alcyonium rubrum Stokvis & van Ofwegen, 2006, an encrusting soft coral (Figure 1), was described from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean based on specimens collected during the Dutch CANCAP VII Expedition to the Cape Verde Archipelago (Stokvis & van Ofwegen 2006). This species was later reported from the Azores (Braga-Henriques et al. 2013).A review on the taxonomic literature of octocorals by the first author revealed the existence of a species described from Scandinavia under the same name, Alcyonium rubrum Müller, 1776, which was also reported from Ireland (Hassal 1841). In such a case of primary homonomy, the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature Article 60, states that the junior homonym is invalid and needs to be replaced by a new name. We propose to replace Alcyonium rubrum Stokvis & van Ofwegen, 2006 by Alcyonium burmedju nom. n.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.606.9310

Authors: Takuma Fujii, James Davis Reimer

Abstract: A new species of free-living solitary zoantharian is described from Okinawa, Japan. Sphenopus exilis sp. n. occurs on silty seafloors in Kin Bay and Oura Bay on the east coast of Okinawa-jima Island. Sphenopus exilis sp. n. is easily distinguished from other Sphenopus species by its small polyp size and slender shape, although there were relatively few differences between Sphenopus exilis sp. n. and S. marsupialis in the molecular phylogenetic analyses. Currently, very little is known about the ecology and diversity of Sphenopus species. Thus, reviewing each species carefully via combined morphological and molecular analyses by using newly obtained specimens from type localities is required to clearly understand and distinguish the species within the genus Sphenopus.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.589.8361

Authors: Asako K. Matsumoto, Leen P. van Ofwegen

Abstract: Octocorals with thread-like colony shape have been re-examined, mainly from Japanese waters. The holotypes of Elasmogorgia filiformis and Filigella boninensis and a syntype of F. mitsukurii have been studied. Euplexaura arbuscula is identified and Euplexaura yayoii sp. n. described.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.587.8188

Authors: Asako K. Matsumoto, Leen P. van Ofwegen

Abstract: Three new deep-water species of Bebryce from Japan are described and depicted using Scanning Electron Microscopy: B. otsuchiensis sp. n., B. rotunda sp. n., and B. satsumaensis sp. n. Bebryce studeri Whitelegge, 1897, was reported from Japanese waters for the first time, bringing the total of Japanese Bebryce species to six. Five of these six species seem to be endemic to Japanese waters and all occur in deep water up to 213 m. A key to the Bebryce species is presented.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.581.7910

Authors: Odalisca Breedy, Hector M. Guzman

Abstract: The species of the genus Muricea were mainly described from 1846 to 1870. After that very few contributions were published. Although the highest richness of Muricea species is in the eastern Pacific shallow waters, a comprehensive systematic study of the genus does not exist. Recently we started a taxonomic review of the genus in order to validate the status of four species previously included in the genus Eumuricea. Herein we present the second part of the Muricea revision dealing with the species-group characterised by shelf-like calyces instead of tubular-like calyces (the M. squarrosa-group). Original type material was morphologically analysed and illustrated using optical and scanning electron microscopy. Comparative character tables are provided for the genus. The taxonomic status of the species was analysed and established by designating lectotypes, alternatively by recognising a holotype by monotypy. We conclude that the genus Muricea comprises 20 valid species, including the previous four in the M. squarrosa-group. We propose 10 lectotypes, a new combination and three more species groups for the genus based on morphology: the M. fruticosa-group, M. plantaginea-group and M. austera-group.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.581.7455

Authors: Leen P. van Ofwegen, Catherine S. McFadden, Yehuda Benayahu

Abstract: Sinularia polydactyla (Ehrenberg, 1834) is re-described and a lectotype assigned. This led to examination of related material from various Indo-Pacific regions. Consequently, Sinularia levi sp. n. is described from Eilat, Israel (Gulf of Aqaba, northern Red Sea) and S. compressa Tixier-Durivault, 1945 and S. candidula Verseveldt and Benayahu, 1983 are synonymized with S. polydactyla. Additional specimens identified in the literature as S. polydactyla are provisionally reassigned to other taxa.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.567.7212

Authors: Leen P. van Ofwegen

Abstract: The Litophyton species of the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean are revised, which includes species previously belonging to the genus Nephthea, which is synonymized with Litophyton. A neotype for both Litophyton arboreum, the type species of Litophyton, and Nephthea chabrolii, the type species of Nephthea, are designated. The new species L. curvum sp. n. is described and depicted, and a key to all Litophyton species is provided. Of the 26 species previously described from the western Indian Ocean and Red Sea, 13 species are considered valid and 13 have been synonymized or placed in other genera.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.562.7310

Authors: Stephen Cairns

Abstract: The transversely-dividing flabellids consist of five genera (Truncatoflabellum, Placotrochides, Blastotrochus, Placotrochus, and Falcatoflabellum) and 45 species. A dichotomous key is provided for these five genera as well as the species of the genus Truncatoflabellum and Placotrochides, the other three genera being monotypic. A tabular key is also provided for the 38 species of Truncatoflabellum. Two new combinations are suggested (T. gambierense and T. sphenodeum) and two new species are described (T. duncani and T. mozambiquensis). All but one species are illustrated and accompanied by their known distribution and a guide to the pertinent literature for the species. New records of 19 of the 45 species are listed. The transversely-dividing flabellids range from the Middle Eocene to the Recent at depths of 2–3010 m, and constitute 60% of the 65 known extant species of transversely-dividing Scleractinia.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.562.6181

Authors: Hiroki Kise, James Reimer

Abstract: Epizoanthus species are generally found in association with other marine invertebrates such as hermit crabs and gastropods. Although Epizoanthus spp. are relatively common, there is limited information about their diversity and ecology due to their habitats or hosts, often being below the depths of SCUBA diving (>~50 m). In particular, the Epizoanthus fauna of the Indo-Pacific Ocean remains poorly understood. In this study, the diversity of Epizoanthus species associated with eunicid worm tubes from shallow waters in the Pacific Ocean we investigated using molecular analyses (mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 = COI, mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA = mt 16S-rDNA, nuclear internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA = ITS-rDNA) combined with morphological and ecological data. The combined data set leads us to describe two new species; Epizoanthus inazuma sp. n. and Epizoanthus beriber sp. n. Both new species are found in low-light environments: E. inazuma sp. n. on mesophotic coral reef slopes and reef floors, or on the sides of overhangs; E. beriber sp. n. has only been found in caves. Morphological characteristics of these two new species are very similar to E. illoricatus Tischbierek, 1930 but the two new species are genetically distinct. Mesentery numbers and coloration of polyps may be useful diagnostic characteristics among eunicid-associated Epizoanthus species. These results demonstrate that there is high potential for other potentially undescribed zoantharian species, particularly in underwater cave habitats.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.557.6298

Authors: Kaveh Samimi-Namin, Leen van Ofwegen

Abstract: The status of Indo-Pacific Briareum species (Cnidaria, Octocorallia, Briareidae) is reviewed by presenting their sclerite features and habitus descriptions. Following the re-examination of type material, museum specimens and newly collected specimens, a species identification key is provided. The species distributions are discussed and updated distribution ranges are depicted. Moreover, a new taxon, B. cylindrum sp. n. is described and depicted, whereas B. excavatum (Nutting, 1911) is synonymised with B. stechei (Kükenthal, 1908). Briareum hamrum (Gohar, 1948) is recorded from the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea for the first time. Consequently, in total four Briareum species are recognized in the Indo-Pacific; B. hamrum from the western Indian Ocean, and B. cylindrum sp. n., B. stechei, and B. violaceum from the central and eastern Indo-Pacific region.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.554.6745

Authors: Stefano Martellos, Luca Ukosich, Massimo Avian

Abstract: Identification of organisms is traditionally based on the use of “classic” identification keys, normally printed on paper. These keys have several drawbacks: they are mainly based on the systematics, requiring identification of orders, families and genera at first; they are written by experts for other experts, in a specific scientific jargon; they have a “frozen” structure (sequence of theses/antitheses); once published, they cannot be changed or updated without printing a new edition. Due to the use of computers, it is now possible to build new digital identification tools, which: 1) can be produced automatically, if the characters are stored in a database; 2) can be freed from the traditional systematics, giving priority to easy-to-observe characters, incl. those usually uncommon to the classical keys, such as ecology and distribution; 3) can be updated in real time once published on-line; 4) can be available on different media, and on mobile devices. An important feature of these new digital tools is their “collaborative” nature. They can be enriched by the contribution of several researchers, which can cooperate while maintaining rights and property of the resources and data they contribute to the system. JellyWeb, the information system on Scyphozoa, Cubozoa and Staurozoa has been developed in Trieste since 2010. The system was created with the aim of – potentially – becoming a starting point for a wide collaborative effort in developing a user-friendly worldwide digital identification system for jellyfishes.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.553.7471

Authors: Odalisca Breedy, Hector M Guzman

Abstract: Muricea is an amphi-American genus. Verrill proposed dividing the species from the Pacific Ocean into three genera and established the genus Eumuricea for five eastern Pacific species with tubular calyces. Eumuricea is basically characterized by colonies with elongate, cylindrical calyces with truncate margins and star-like opercula, and the occurrence of unilateral spinous spindles. According to these characteristics, Eumuricea does not show enough difference from Muricea to be treated as a separate genus. Original type material of Eumuricea was morphologically analysed and illustrated using optical and scanning electron microscopy. We conclude that the eastern Pacific species should be placed in the genus Muricea and form a group characterised by tubular calyces that comprises four species at present, M. acervata, M. hispida, M. squarrosa, and M. tubigera and a dubious species M. horrida. Lectotypes were designated for M. squarrosa and M. hispida to establish their taxonomic status. The genus Eumuricea has also been misunderstood by former authors who erroneously assigned species to it. For these species we propose new combinations: Swiftia pusilla, Astrogorgia splendens and A. ramosa.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.540.9857

Authors: Antonios A. Augustinos, Elena Drosopoulou, Aggeliki Gariou-Papalexiou, Elias D. Asimakis, Carlos Caceres, George Tsiamis, Kostas Bourtzis, Penelope Mavragani-Tsipidou, Antigone Zacharopoulou

Abstract: The Bactrocera dorsalis species complex, currently comprising about 90 entities has received much attention. During the last decades, considerable effort has been devoted to delimiting the species of the complex. This information is of great importance for agriculture and world trade, since the complex harbours several pest species of major economic importance and other species that could evolve into global threats. Speciation in Diptera is usually accompanied by chromosomal rearrangements, particularly inversions that are assumed to reduce/eliminate gene flow. Other candidates currently receiving much attention regarding their possible involvement in speciation are reproductive symbionts, such as Wolbachia, Spiroplasma, Arsenophonus, Rickettsia and Cardinium. Such symbionts tend to spread quickly through natural populations and can cause a variety of phenotypes that promote pre-mating and/or post-mating isolation and, in addition, can affect the biology, physiology, ecology and evolution of their insect hosts in various ways. Considering all these aspects, we present: (a) a summary of the recently gained knowledge on the cytogenetics of five members of the B. dorsalis complex, namely B. dorsaliss.s., B. invadens, B. philippinensis, B. papayae and B. carambolae, supplemented by additional data from a B. dorsaliss.s. colony from China, as well as by a cytogenetic comparison between the dorsalis complex and the genetically close species, B. tryoni, and, (b) a reproductive symbiont screening of 18 different colonized populations of these five taxa. Our analysis did not reveal any chromosomal rearrangements that could differentiate among them. Moreover, screening for reproductive symbionts was negative for all colonies derived from different geographic origins and/or hosts. There are many different factors that can lead to speciation, and our data do not support chromosomal and/or symbiotic-based speciation phenomena in the taxa under study.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.537.6025

Authors: Odalisca Breedy, Hector M. Guzman

Abstract: Muricea is an amphi-American genus. Verrill proposed dividing the species from the Pacific Ocean into three genera and established the genus Eumuricea for five eastern Pacific species with tubular calyces. Eumuricea is basically characterized by colonies with elongate, cylindrical calyces with truncate margins and star-like opercula, and the occurrence of unilateral spinous spindles. According to these characteristics, Eumuricea does not show enough difference from Muricea to be treated as a separate genus. Original type material of Eumuricea was morphologically analysed and illustrated using optical and scanning electron microscopy. We conclude that the eastern Pacific species should be placed in the genus Muricea and form a group characterised by tubular calyces that comprises four species at present, M. acervata, M. hispida, M. squarrosa, and M. tubigera and a dubious species M. horrida. Lectotypes were designated for M. squarrosa and M. hispida to establish their taxonomic status. The genus Eumuricea has also been misunderstood by former authors who erroneously assigned species to it. For these species we propose new combinations: Swiftia pusilla, Astrogorgia splendens and A. ramosa.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.522.10294

Authors: Asako K. Matsumoto, Leen P. van Ofwegen

Abstract: Japanese melithaeid type material is re-examined and re-described. The sclerites of the different species are depicted using Scanning Electron Microscopy. All Japanese species of the family Melithaeidae treated here belong to the genus Melithaea and are endemic to Japanese waters. Old museum material and newly collected specimens from Japanese waters are identified after comparison with this type material. Acabaria modesta var. abyssicola is regarded a separate species, here named Melithaea abyssicola (Kükenthal, 1909). In addition, 11 new species are described: M. boninensis sp. n., M. doederleini sp. n., M. isonoi sp. n., M. keramaensis sp. n., M. oyeni sp. n., M. ryukyukensis sp. n., M. sagamiensis sp. n., M. satsumaensis sp. n., M. suensoni sp. n., M. tanseii sp. n., and M. tokaraensis sp. n.. Pleurocorallium confusum Moroff, 1902, Pleurocoralloides formosum Moroff, 1902, Melitodes flabellifera Kükenthal, 1908, and Melitodes densa Kükenthal, 1908 are synonymized with Melithaea japonica (Verrill, 1865). We have designated a neotype for Melithaea mutsu Minobe, 1929. A key to the Japanese melithaeids is presented.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.517.9308

Authors: Zarinah Waheed, Francesca Benzoni, Sancia E. T. van der Meij, Tullia Isotta Terraneo, Bert W. Hoeksema

Abstract: Layang-Layang is a small island part of an oceanic atoll in the Spratly Islands off Sabah, Malaysia. As the reef coral fauna in this part of the South China Sea is poorly known, a survey was carried out in 2013 to study the species composition of the scleractinian coral families Fungiidae, Agariciidae and Euphylliidae. A total of 56 species was recorded. The addition of three previously reported coral species brings the total to 59, consisting of 32 Fungiidae, 22 Agariciidae, and five Euphylliidae. Of these, 32 species are new records for Layang-Layang, which include five rarely reported species, i.e., the fungiids Lithophyllon ranjithi, Podabacia sinai, Sandalolitha boucheti, and the agariciids Leptoseris kalayaanensis and L. troglodyta. The coral fauna of Layang-Layang is poor compared to other areas in Sabah, which may be related to its recovery from a crown-of-thorns seastar outbreak in 2010, and its low habitat diversity, which is dominated by reef slopes consisting of steep outer walls. Based on integrative molecular and morphological analyses, a Pavona variety with small and extremely thin coralla was revealed as P. maldivensis. Since specimens from Sabah previously identified as P. maldivensis were found to belong to P. explanulata, the affinities and distinctions of P. maldivensis and P. explanulata are discussed.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.511.9432

Authors: Yu Miyazaki, James D. Reimer

Abstract: A new genus and species of octocoral with a calcium-carbonate skeleton, Nanipora kamurai sp. n., is described from a shallow coral reef in Okinawa, Japan. Contrary to most octocorals, the skeleton is composed of crystalline aragonite as in blue coral Heliopora. The results of molecular phylogenetic analyses of sequences of mtMutS, COI, and ITS1-5.8s-ITS2-28S region suggest Nanipora gen. n. specimens should be included in order Helioporacea. Based on morphological results compared with other Helioporacea including the genus Epiphaxum (family Lithotelestidae), we establish the new genus Nanipora within Lithotelestidae. This is the first time that a close molecular phylogenetic relationship between Heliopora and a related genus within Helioporacea has been revealed.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.503.9047

Authors: Sho Toshino, Hiroshi Miyake, Haruka Shibata

Abstract: A new family, genus and species of cubozoan box jellyfish belonging to the order Chirodropida is reported from the eastern Japan. Meteorona kishinouyei gen. et sp. n. possesses the following unique morphological characters with respect to other known species in the Chirodropida: having one tentacle per scalpel-like unbranched pedalium and slightly raised unbranched gastric saccules. A comparative table of the primary diagnostic characters of genus and order in the Chirodropida is given. The order Chirodropida is redefined. The family Chiropsellidae is established. Discussion is provided on the implications for these findings on our current understanding of Cubozoan systematics.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.500.9244

Authors: Sancia E.T. van der Meij

Abstract: A new species of gall crab is described from the free-living stony coral Trachyphyllia geoffroyi. Specimens were collected during field work in Lembeh Strait (Indonesia) and off Kudat (Malaysian Borneo). This new species, here named Lithoscaptus semperi sp. n., is the ninth species assigned to the genus. It can be separated from its congeners by not having the internal orbital angle extending beyond the external orbital angle, and by the stout female P2 merus with prominent distomesial projection. In addition, the carapace surface appears smooth, despite having small tubercles on the anterior half, and is without noticeable spines, other than those on the frontal margin. The distinctive carapace pattern in life is a diagnostic character in male specimens.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.496.9433

Authors: Jessica Bouwmeester, Francesca Benzoni, Andrew H. Baird, Michael L. Berumen

Abstract: A new scleractinian coral species, Cyphastrea kausti sp. n., is described from 13 specimens from the Red Sea. It is characterised by the presence of eight primary septa, unlike the other species of the genus, which have six, ten or 12 primary septa. The new species has morphological affinities with Cyphastrea microphthalma, from which it can be distinguished by the lower number of septa (on average eight instead of ten), and smaller calices and corallites. This species was observed in the northern and central Red Sea and appears to be absent from the southern Red Sea.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.478.8512

Authors: Yuka Irei, Frederic Sinniger, James Davis Reimer

Abstract: Two new species of zoantharians (Hexacorallia, Zoantharia, Sphenopidae), Palythoa mizigama sp. n. and P. umbrosa sp. n., are described from the Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan. Unlike almost all other known Palythoa spp., both species are azooxanthellate and inhabit low-light environments such as floors or sides of caves, crevasses, or hollows of shallow coral reefs. The two species were initially considered to be the same species from their similar habitat environments and highly similar morphological features. However, phylogenetic analyses of nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal DNA, mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA, and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences revealed that these two species have a genetically distant relationship within the genus Palythoa. Morphological characteristics, including polyp size, tentacle number, external/internal coloration, and types and sizes of cnidae were examined in this study. As a result, only tentacle coloration was found to be useful for the morphological distinction between the two species. Palythoa mizigama possesses white tentacles with black horizontal stripes while P. umbrosa possesses white tentacles without any stripe patterns. Considering their distant phylogenetic relationship, it can be assumed that their unique yet similar morphological and ecological characteristics developed independently in each species as an example of parallel evolution.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.472.8547

Authors: Daniela Pica, Stephen D. Cairns, Stefania Puce, William A. Newman

Abstract: A number of stylasterid corals are known to act as host species and create refuges for a variety of mobile and sessile organisms, which enhances their habitat complexity. These include annelids, anthozoans, cirripeds, copepods, cyanobacteria, echinoderms, gastropods, hydroids and sponges. Here we report the first evidence of a diverse association between stylasterids and scalpellid pedunculate barnacles and describe a new stylasterid species, Errina labrosa, from the Tristan da Cunha Archipelago. Overall, five stylasterid species are found to host eight scalpellid barnacles from several biogeographic regions in the southern hemisphere (Southern Ocean, temperate South America and the southern Indo-Pacific realms). There is an apparent lack of specificity in this kind of association and different grades of reaction to the symbiosis have been observed in the coral. These records suggest that the association between pedunculate barnacles and hard stylasterid corals has a wide distribution among different biogeographic realms and that it is relatively rare and confined largely to deep water.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.462.8533

Authors: Leen P. van Ofwegen, Didier Aurelle, Stéphane Sartoretto

Abstract: A new genus of soft coral from the Republic of Congo is described, Complexum gen. n. Nine West African octocoral species previously described in the genus Alcyonium by Tixier-Durivault (1955) are referred to this new genus, and a new species is described and figured, C. pusillum sp. n. The new species is characterized by having encrusting growth form and abundant spiny clubs in the surface of the polyparium. It colonizes shallow calcareous rocky banks (5 to 20 m depth) existing in coastal water of the region of Pointe-Noire. Based on molecular phylogeny this new genus is well separated from Alcyonium species.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.444.7537

Authors: James Reimer, Angelo Poliseno, Bert Hoeksema

Abstract: Despite the Central Indo-Pacific (CIP) and the Indonesian Archipelago being a well-known region of coral reef biodiversity, particularly in the ‘Coral Triangle’, little published information is available on its zoantharians (Cnidaria: Hexacorallia: Zoantharia). In order to provide a basis for future research on the Indo-Pacific zoantharian fauna and facilitate comparisons between more well-studied regions such as Japan and the Great Barrier Reef, this report deals with CIP zoantharian specimens in the Naturalis collection in Leiden, the Netherlands; 106 specimens were placed into 24 morpho-species and were supplemented with 88 in situ photographic records from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. At least nine morpho-species are likely to be undescribed species, indicating that the region needs more research in order to properly understand zoantharian diversity within the CIP. The Naturalis’ zoantharian specimens are listed by species, as well as all relevant collection information, and in situ images are provided to aid in future studies on zoantharians in the CIP.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.433.8036

Authors: Tullia Isotta Terraneo, Michael L. Berumen, Roberto Arrigoni, Zarinah Waheed, Jessica Bouwmeester, Annalisa Caragnano, Fabrizio Stefani, Francesca Benzoni

Abstract: A new scleractinian coral species, Pachyseris inattesa sp. n., is described from the Red Sea. Despite a superficial resemblance with some species in the agariciid genus Leptoseris with which it has been previously confused, P. inattesa sp. n. has micro-morphological characters typical of the genus Pachyseris. This genus, once part of the Agariciidae, is comprised of five extant species and is widely distributed throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. It is currently incertae sedis as a result of recent molecular analysis and appears to be closely related to the Euphylliidae. A molecular phylogenetic reconstruction including P. inattesa sp.n., the genus type species P. rugosa, and P. speciosa, all present in the Red Sea, was performed using the mitochondrial intergenic spacer between COI and 16S-rRNA. The results confirm that P. inattesa sp. n. is a monophyletic lineage closely related to the other Pachyseris species examined.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.431.7751

Authors: Michael Janes, Catherine McFadden, Thanongsak Chanmethakul

Abstract: A survey of xeniid octocorals was carried out in the waters off Southwestern Thailand in September, 2007. Microscopic investigation of the colonies revealed that three specimens belonged to the genus Ovabunda. Gross morphological examination is presented here accompanied by scanning electron micrographs of the sclerites. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed identical genotypes at mtMutS, COI, and 28S rDNA for all three specimens and supports their generic assignment. Colony size and shape, sclerite size, and pinnule arrangement differ from nominal species of Ovabunda and thus a new species, O. andamanensis is introduced here. This work also presents a new eastern geographical record for the genus Ovabunda.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.373.6511

Authors: Anna Halàsz, Catherine McFadden, Dafna Aharonivich, Robert Toonen, Yehuda Benayahu

Abstract: The family Xeniidae (Octocorallia) constitutes an abundant benthic component on many Indo-West Pacific coral reefs and is ecologically important in the Red Sea. The genus Ovabunda Alderslade, 2001 was recently established to accommodate previous Xenia species with sclerites comprised of a mass of minute corpuscle-shaped microscleres. The aim of the present study was to examine type material of Xenia species in order to verify their generic affiliation. We present here a comprehensive account of the genus Ovabunda, using scanning electron microscopy to depict sclerite microstructure. We assign three Xenia species to the genus: O. ainex comb. n., O. gohari comb. n., and O. crenata comb. n.; and synonymize several other species of Ovabunda. We provide a key to Ovabunda species and conclude that they are mainly confined to the Red Sea, with some occurrence in the West Indian Ocean.

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DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.371.6677

Authors: Bert Hoeksema

Abstract: The recent taxonomic history of extant free-living Cycloseris species is briefly reviewed, resulting in the description of Cycloseris boschmai sp. n. (Scleractinia, Fungiidae) and a discussion on the validity of two other recently described species. Some Cycloseris species were previously considered to belong to the Fungia patella group, which also concerned misidentified museum specimens that actually belong to the new species. Other specimens of C. boschmai sp. n. were photographed and collected in the course of 30 years of fieldwork. The new mushroom coral is compared with other free-living Cycloseris species by means of an identification key. With a maximum diameter of 50 mm, it is the smallest free-living mushroom coral discovered so far. It can also be distinguished by its large primary order costae and variable colouration. Its distribution range is limited to the Coral Triangle, where it can be observed as an uncommon species on lower reef slopes.

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