Revisiting the type of Cespitularia stolonifera Gohar, 1938 leads to the description of a new genus and a species of the family Xeniidae (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea)
Author
Benayahu, Yehuda
Author
Van Ofwegen, Leen P.
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P. O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. ofwegen @ yahoo. com
Author
Ruiz Allais, J. P.
Fundacion la Tortuga, Estado AnzoƔtegui, 6016, Venezuela. juanbioloogy @ googlemail. com
Author
Mcfadden, Catherine S.
Department of Biology, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA. mcfadden @ g. hmc. edu
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-04-22
4964
2
330
344
journal article
7071
10.11646/zootaxa.4964.2.5
6d7b4e8c-9086-45b7-87f2-eee086af0c5a
1175-5326
4709507
D3E4491B-E445-42BD-9B94-2B6786ACAA94
Unomia
gen. n.
Type
species
Cespitularia stolonifera
Gohar, 1938: 483-485
, plate I, here designated.
Diagnosis
. Colonies soft with a stalk, commonly divided into branches. Polyps monomorphic and non-retractile, mostly clustering on a polyp-bearing region (polypary). Noticeably, individual polyps are also found on the stalk, branches or the membranous base of the colonies thus indicating the diffuse nature of the distribution of the more proximal polyps. Sclerites present as ellipsoid platelets, abundant in all parts of the colony. They reach up to
0.025 mm
in maximal diameter, and are composed of densely placed calcite rods whose tips are distinct on the surface of the platelets, commonly providing them with a granular appearance. The rods are mostly uniform in width (
0.001
- 0.002
mm
). During dehydration for SEM purposes some sclerites may fracture. Zooxanthellate.
Etymology.
The generic name is derived from the Latin:
unum,
which refers to solitary. Here it denotes the individual polyps randomly found on the divided stalk or on branches below the polypary level. Gender: feminine.