A taxonomic revision of Anthothela (Octocorallia: Scleraxonia: Anthothelidae) and related genera, with the addition of new taxa, using morphological and molecular data
Author
Moore, Kirrily M.
Author
Alderslade, Philip
Author
Miller, Karen J.
text
Zootaxa
2017
4304
1
1
212
journal article
32506
10.11646/zootaxa.4304.1.1
3b9bd2c4-7dee-46a3-a36d-80077b88a78b
1175-5326
842289
3D557C94-0783-4C39-80C3-9C321DA94800
Victorgorgia
Lόpez-González and
Briand, 2002
Ƒictorgorgia
Lόpez-González &
Briand, 2002
: 98.
Diagnosis:
Arborescent monomorphic scleraxonians with sparse, irregular branching, generally in one plane; anastomoses absent or rare; medulla extensively penetrated by large, well-defined coelenteric canals and separated from a thin cortex by a boundary space formed by anastomosing boundary canals; calyces distributed all over most of the colonies, crowded at the branch tip; pinnule and tentacle sclerites include
josephinae
clubs and tuberculate sticks and spindles; sclerites from points, calyx, cortex and medulla are mainly tuberculate sticks and spindles; pharynx lacks sclerites.
Type species:
Victorgorgia josephinae
Lόpez-González &
Briand, 2002
by monotypy.
Remarks:
Herein three nominal species of
Anthothela
(
A. argentea
Studer, 1894
,
A. macrocalyx
(
Nutting, 1911
)
and
Clematissa alba
Nutting, 1908
(=
A. nuttingi
Bayer, 1956
)) are transferred and two new species are added to the genus
Victorgorgia
.
An amended diagnosis of the genus was necessary to accommodate the additional species. Additional illustrations of the
type
species
V. josephinae
were also necessary to assist in the delimitation of these species. A form of sclerite common in the genus, ‘
josephinae
clubs’, is defined in the ‘Terminology and taxonomic characters’ section on page 10. The three species where live colour has been noted (
V. josephinae
,
V. eminens
n. sp.
and
V.
nyahae
n. sp.
) were all found to have parts of the colony coloured shades of purple.