Description of two new genera and two new species of antipatharian corals in the family Aphanipathidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Antipatharia)

Abstract

Two new genera and two new species of black corals are recognized in the family Aphanipathidae. The new genus Anozopathes, with the species A. hawaiiensis sp. nov. and A. palauensis, sp. nov. is characterized by a sparsely and irregularly branched corallum with relatively long branches which can be straight, curved or crooked. The genus Aphanostichopathes, with the type species Cirripathes paucispina Brook, is characterized by an unbranched corallum with a long, curved stem with loose distal coils. Mitochondrial DNA data (nad5-IGR-nad1 for Anozopathes and cox3-cox1 for Aphanostichopathes) indicate that both taxa are related to the genera Aphanipathes, Phanopathes and Acanthopathes in the family Aphanipathidae, and morphologically they both share the characteristic of having spines with distinct conical tubercles. The two new species of Anozopathes are separated primarily by differences in colony growth form and in the size and shape of the skeletal spines. Species of Aphanostichopathes are separated primarily by differences in the size and shape of the spines and by size and density of the tubercles on the surface of the spines.

Five new species of black coral (Anthozoa; Antipatharia) from the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea, Australia

“…Terminal branchlets are also more evenly spaced along lower order branches compared to A. pedata that has terminal branchlets confined mostly to the distal end of the lower order branches. The new species resembles Aphanostichopathes spiessi (Opresko et al 2021) with regards to ornamentation on the spines where both have tubercles; however, the new species has much shorter spine heights (maximum of 0.12 mm vs maximum of 0.24 mm in Ap. spiessi).…”

Molecular diversity of black corals from the Saudi Arabian Red Sea: a first assessment

“…Yet nuclear markers previously employed in the same contexts have not shown a higher degree of resolution. The mitochondrial markers amplified in our present study (IgrN, are among the most widely used in the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships in the order Antipatharia (Wagner et al 2010;Brugler et al 2013;MacIsaac et al 2013;Chery et al 2018;Horowitz et al 2020;Opresko et al 2020Opresko et al , 2021. These have proven useful in reconstructing higher taxonomic level relationships in the order, as for the families Myriopathidae, Leiopathidae and Schizopathidae but inferring relationships at lower taxonomic level remains problematic.…”