Black corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) from the deep (916 m - 2542 m) Coral Sea, north-eastern Australia Author Horowitz, Jeremy Author Opresko, Dennis M. Author Bridge, Tom C. L. text Zootaxa 2018 2018-09-10 4472 2 307 326 journal article 29448 10.11646/zootaxa.4472.2.5 1113cb35-3bdb-482b-babd-a58f7caea92c 1175-5326 1440225 542D5E73-A1E6-421A-8C4B-72487FA4789B Schizopathes affinis Brook, 1889 ( FIgS. 1 ANd 6 ) Schizopathes affinis , Molodtsova & Opresko (2017) : 360 –361 (complete synonymy). Material examined: MTQ MATeRIAL (PReSeRVed IN eTHYL ALCOHOL): G61837, G61944, G61951, ANd G73230 (STATION dATA IN TAbLe 1 ). Diagnosis : COLONY MONOPOdIAL, UNbRANCHed, PINNULATe. PINNULeS SIMPLe, ARRANged ALTeRNATeLY IN TWO LATeRAL ROWS ALONg STeM; deCReASINg IN LeNgTH TOWARd APeX Of CORALLUM ANd INCLINed dISTALLY. PINNULeS 8 MM TO 10 MM APART PROXIMALLY, 5 MM TO 6 MM APART NeAR THe TOP Of CORALLUM (APPROXIMATeLY SeVeN PINNULeS TOTAL PeR 3 CM ON LOWeR PART Of CORALLUM ANd AbOUT TeN PeR 3 CM ON UPPeR PART IN HOLOTYPe). POLYPAR SPINeS SMALL, TRIANgULAR, ANd COMPReSSed; MOSTLY 0.03 MM TO 0.05 MM TALL (UP TO 0.08 MM NeAR dISTAL eNd Of PINNULeS); fOUR TO fIVe ROWS VISIbLe IN LATeRAL VIeW; WITH AbOUT SIX SPINeS PeR 1 MM. AbPOLYPAR SPINeS USUALLY SMALLeR THAN POLYPAR SPINeS, AbOUT 0.03 MM OR AbSeNT. POLYPS 3 MM TO 4.5 MM IN TRANSVeRSe dIAMeTeR, WITH AbOUT THRee POLYPS PeR 1 CM. Description of the CIDARIS Specimens: THe CIDARIS SPeCIMeNS Of S. affinis ARe SIMILAR TO THe TYPe IN bOTH THe deNSITY Of THe PINNULeS (INCReASINg fROM AbOUT 4.5 PINNULeS IN TOTAL PeR 3 CM ANd ~7 MM Of dISTANCe beTWeeN PINNULeS PROXIMALLY TO 8 PeR 3 CM ANd ~5 MM Of dISTANCe beTWeeN PINNULeS TOWARdS THe APeX Of THe CORALLUM) ( FIgURe 6A ), ANd THe SIze Of THe POLYPAR SPINeS (~0.06 MM) beINg LARgeR THAN AbPOLYPAR SPINeS (~0.04 MM) ( FIgURe 6b ). THe COLONY ALSO ReSeMbLeS THe TYPe SPeCIMeN bY HAVINg A dISTINCT TRIANgULAR SHAPe ANd RATIOS Of THe LONgeST ANd LOWeRMOST PINNULe COMPARed TO THe PINNULATed PORTION Of THe STeM beINg beTWeeN 1 TO 1.3, SIMILAR TO THe TYPe SPeCIMeN WITH A RATIO Of ~0.95. ( FIgURe 6A ). FOUR ROWS Of SPINeS CAN be SeeN fROM ONe ASPeCT ( FIgURe 6b ) ANd SPINeS ARe MOSTLY SIMPLe ( FIgURe 6C ), WITH TWO SPeCIMeNS SHOWINg bIfURCATION Of SOMe POLYPAR SPINeS ( FIgURe 6b ). Distribution: THIS SPeCIeS HAS beeN RePORTed fROM THe NORTHWeSTeRN ATLANTIC, WeSTeRN PACIfIC, ANd INdIAN OCeANS, ANd SOUTH CHINA SeA, fROM dePTHS Of 1,900 M TO 8,460 M, ANd THIS STUdY eXPANdS THe dISTRIbUTION TO THe CORAL SeA, AUSTRALIA ( FIgURe 1C ) AT 1,576 M ( FIgURe 1C ), A RANge eXPANSION Of> 1,000 kM, ANd dePTH RANge eXPANSION Of 333 M. FIGURE 6. Schizopthes affinis : a, G61837, anterolateral view of corallum showing pinnule density, triangular corallum shape, and curved hook at basal end b, G61978, spines on a pinnule shows bifucation of some polypar spines (seen on left side of image) and larger polypar spines than abpolypar spines; c, G61837, spine on a section of a pinnule. TABLE 3 . Striatum descriptions for Bathypathes seculata and Bathypathes patula specimens (arranged by increasing colony size). Specimens collected from the CIDARIS expeditions are highlighted in bold .
Species Specimen/ station Length of striatum on the stem (cm) Number of ridges on striatum from one view Striatum description
B. patula G35430 ~ 1.10 3 Not distinct, starts at attachment point and extends to the apex of colony
B. seculata G61917 ~ 1.60 5 Very distinct, starts near attachment point, ending midway up unpinnulated portion of stem
B. patula (van Pesch 1914) 74 A no data no data No data
B. seculata G61977 ~ 1.50 Unclear Not distinct, starts near attachment point, ending midway up unpinnulated portion of stem
B. seculata G61966 ~ 4.50 3 Somewhat distinct and twisted around the stem, starts at attachment point and extends to the top of the unpinnulated portion of the stem.
B. seculata G62049 Not visible Not visible Not visible
B. seculata G61979 ~ 2.00 4 Ridges become distinct at about mid-way up unpinnulated portion of stem, and becoming less distinct near first set of pinnules
B. seculata G73228 ~ 1.50 2–3 Not distinct, starts.5 cm above attachment point, ending midway up unpinnulated portion of stem
B. seculata G35428 ~ 2.50 3–4 Not distinct, starts near attachment point, ending midway up unpinnulated portion of stem
B. seculata G61978 ~ 2.50 ~3 Not distinct, starts near attachment point, ending midway up unpinnulated portion of stem
B. seculata USNM 53430 ~ 2.50 6 Distinct, slightly twisted, spines along some ridges, starts 7 mm above basal end of stem and
(Opresko 2005)a extends midway up the unpinnulated portion of the stem
B. seculata G61981 ~ 2.75 4 Very distinct, twisted around stem, starts near attachment point, ending midway up unpinnulated portion of stem
B. patula (van Pesch 1914) 214 B no data no data No data
B. patula (Pasternak 1977) St. 453 III no data no data No data
B. patula 214 A no data no data No data
(van Pesch 1914)
B. seculata G61948 ~ 6.00 5–6 Very distinct, starts.5cm from attachment point and extends to the first set of pinnules
B. patula (Pasternak 1977) St. 453 II no data no data No data
B. seculata G61967 ~ 7.60 4 Somewhat distinct, slightly twisted, starts at attachment point and extends to the top of the unpinnulated portion of the stem.
B. patula (Pasternak 1977) St. 190 no data no data No data
B. patula (van Pesch 1914) 74 B no data no data No data
B. patula (Brook 1889) a 195 no data no data No data
B. patula G61980 ~ 7.50 5–6 Starts 1 cm above attachment point and extends to midway up unpinnulated portion
B. patula (Cooper 1909) Plate 41 no data no data No data
a Type specimen a Type specimen