A new species of the genus Psammogorgia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Octocorallia) from the Hannibal Bank in Pacific Panama

Breedy, Odalisca; Guzman, Hector M.; Murillo, Catalina and Vargas, Sergio (2020): A new species of the genus Psammogorgia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Octocorallia) from the Hannibal Bank in Pacific Panama. In: Bulletin of Marine Science, Vol. 96, No. 1: pp. 169-179

Abstract

The octocoral faunas occurring at mesophotic, depths (from 40 to 150 m) have been relatively unexplored. Recent expeditions to Hannibal Bank, a guyot seamount off Pacific Panama, have yielded new octocoral species and new records for the tropical eastern Pacific. Herein, we describe a new species for the genus Psammogorgia Verrill, 1868a, Psammogorgia pax sp. nov., characterized by having a whitish flabellate colony with orange polyp apertures, slightly raised and sparse calyces, and colorless coenenchymal sclerites (which are mostly spindles and large wart-dubs). A preliminary molecular phylogenetic analysis supports the differences between the new species with other congener and related taxa.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Geosciences > Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Subjects: 500 Science > 550 Earth sciences and geology
• ISSN: 0007-4977
• Language: English