Recent ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) exploration and bottom sampling in the southern Adriatic Sea (Apulian and Montenegrin margins) resulted in the discovery of cnidarian-rich deep-sea habitats in the depth range of ca. 400-700 m. In particular, ROV inspection of Montenegrin canyons reveals the existence of megabenthic communities dominated by a variety of cnidarians, including scleractinians (Madrepora oculata, Lophelia pertusa, Dendrophyllia cornigera), antipatharians (Leiopathes glaberrima) and gorgonians (Callogorgia verticillata) as major habitat forming taxa, often in association with sponges and, subordinately, serpulids. All such cnidarians are new records for the south-eastern side of the Adriatic Sea. Our investigation indicates that an almost continuous belt of patchy cold water coral sites occurs along the entire south-western margin (Apulian), basically connecting the Adriatic populations with those inhabiting the Ionian margin (Santa Maria di Leuca coral province).

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This study represents a preliminary systematic reorganization of the critical whip black coral genus Stichopathes from Indonesia, and a validation test of its principal morphological features as suitable taxonomic characters. A phylogenetic analysis based on rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequences ITS1 and ITS2 was performed on several specimens coming from different areas of the Indonesian Archipelago. Within the family Antipathidae, these analyses confirmed the separation of the three traditional genera of whip black corals (Stichopathes, Cirrhipathes, and Pseudocirrhipathes). Additionally, the analyses identified five clades for the studied Stichopathes specimens. In each clade, the wire specimens were well characterized by a distinctive set of morphological features, including: the shape of the corallum, the size and arrangement of the polyps, and the shape of the spines. The molecular data obtained, combined with other sequences available in the literature, indicate that the traditional genus Stichopathes is a polyphyletic taxon. In three clades, unbranched Stichopathes-like specimens group together with branched specimens morphologically belonging to the genus Antipathes. This evidence suggests caution when using the corallum branching pattern in the taxonomy of the order, as this character may have evolved separately in different taxa, thus suggesting that an extensive taxonomic revision of the whip black coral genera is required.

Black corals (Anthozoa, Antipatharia) represent a small order of colonial hexacorallians mainly occurring below 100 m depth in both tropical and subtropical regions (Pax et al. 1987). In some areas, however, abundant and diverse communities have been recorded within 50 m depth (Tazioli et al. 2007), where antipatharians contribute to the threedimensionality of the coral reefs and host a rich associated fauna.In South America, the most studied s hallowwater populations of black corals (surveyed within the diving depth range) are confined to the Caribbean Sea ( Warner 1981, Sánchez 1999, where 16 species have been recorded (Echeverria 2002, Opresko andSánchez 2005). The most important Caribbean assemblages have been described between depths of 5 and 40 m in Colombia (Opresko and

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