Dead man’s fingers point to new taxa: two new genera of New Zealand soft corals (Anthozoa, Octocorallia) and a revision of Alcyonium aurantiacum Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 Author Kessel, Gustav M. BDA5447C-03BF-4994-92E0-7BE0E87EC76 Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, Aotearoa-New Zealand. gustav.kessel@gmail.com Author Alderslade, Philip 93DC2CBE-C14F-4C64-BBD8-D02572886AB0 Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. phil.alderslade@csiro.au Author Bilewitch, Jaret P. 38623569-6B57-4D79-AD6C-E4A92762DADD National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd., Wellington, Aotearoa-New Zealand. jaret.bilewitch@niwa.co.nz Author Schnabel, Kareen E. 90CD9E5D-8E26-4E08-8A5F-3263CBE9D6BD National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd., Wellington, Aotearoa-New Zealand. kareen.schnabel@niwa.co.nz Author Norman, Jerry 6ABACFAA-E313-414B-A572-425841DD4898 Ngāti Kurī, Tira Me Te Wā, Aotearoa-New Zealand. jerrynorman.rotary@gmail.com Author Potts, Romana Tekaharoa 07A4AADF-0D7C-4092-8319-EAE030A189D9 Ngāti Kurī, Tira Me Te Wā, Aotearoa-New Zealand. & Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Te Ringa Mauī / Ngāti Kurī / Te Ngaki, Aotearoa-New Zealand. romana.potts@twoa.ac.nz Author Gardner, Jonathan P. A. 9F5C3217-34CD-41E7-9908-2CE2F01D0C6C Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, Aotearoa-New Zealand. jonathan.gardner@vuw.ac.nz text European Journal of Taxonomy 2022 837 1 85 http://zoobank.org/7cbac71f-ff75-411c-9ce9-aa633e16438e journal article 145798 10.5852/ejt.2022.837.1923 d157f752-43b8-4f47-bc6f-65f80c303e89 2118-9773 7084444 7CBAC71F-FF75-411C-9CE9-AA633E16438E Ushanaia solida gen. et sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: BC72CC9C-E954-4166-9DEB-6E17DF6A6E35 Figs 1C , 2K , 28C , 34B , 35–36 Diagnosis Colony of loosely connected lobes, beige to pale orange with white polyps. Collaret and points hued orange and composed of tuberculate to warty spindles, often broad and flattened and irregular or branched, as well as thorny clubs and spindles. Tentacles contain irregular, warty, scale-like sclerites. Polyp neck contains warty to spiny rod-like sclerites. Polyp mounds contain similar warty to spiny rod- and spindle-like forms, grading into clubs. Surface and interior contains warty to spiny rod- and spindlelike forms, a few radiates and poorly developed clubs. Etymology The species name is the Latin word ‘ solida ’, meaning ‘solid’ or ‘three-dimensional’ and referring to the substantially thicker, fleshier colony form of Ushanaia solida gen. et sp. nov. when compared to U. ferruginea gen. et sp. nov. or U. fervens gen. et sp. nov. Material examined Holotype NEW ZEALAND • Auckland , Manukau Harbour ; 37.0319° S , 174.6507° E (estimated); 11 Apr. 2003 ; stn Z18522; NIWA 102133 . Description ( holotype , NIWA 102133) Colony form The holotype is composed of three loosely connected main lobes, measures 4 cm in height and 5 cm in width, and is beige to pale orange (ethanol-preserved) ( Fig. 28C ). Polyps are densely arranged across the entire surface of the colony, white, 0.75 mm to 1 mm tall when expanded, and have collaret and point sclerites with a slight orange hue ( Fig. 2K ). Sclerites Points are composed of tuberculate to warty spindles, which are often broad and flattened and can be irregularly shaped and branched, and irregular, thorny clubs and spindles distally (~ 0.1–0.4 mm long) ( Fig. 35A, D ). Proximally, the spindles become more crescentic and slightly larger (~ 0.26–0.55 mm long), transitioning into a transverse orientation and merging with the collaret, which is five to seven rows deep ( Figs 34B , 35A ). The tentacles contain irregular, warty, scale-like forms, which are often curved and branched (~ 0.06–0.24 mm long) ( Fig. 35B ). The polyp neck contains warty to spiny rod-like forms (~ 0.1–0.18 mm long) ( Fig. 35C ), although these are not abundant. Polyp mounds are composed of warty to spiny rod- and spindle-like forms, which grade into some club-like forms (~ 0.1–0.18 mm long) ( Fig. 36A ). The sclerites of the surface of the lobes, both distal and proximal regions (relative to the substrate), and of the interior are all very similar and consist of warty to spiny rod- and spindle-like forms, a few radiates and poorly developed clubs, and they essentially differ only in size: proximal lobe surface, ~ 0.12–0.26 mm long ( Fig. 36B ); distal lobe surface, ~ 0.12–0.26 mm long ( Fig. 36C ); interior, ~ 0.14–0.18 mm long ( Fig. 36D ). Fig. 35. Ushanaia solida gen. et sp. nov. , holotype (NIWA 102133), SEMs of sclerites. A . Collaret and points. B . Tentacles. C . Polyp neck. D . Distal points. Fig. 36. Ushanaia solida gen. et sp. nov. , holotype (NIWA 102133), SEMs of sclerites. A . Polyp mound. B . Lobe surface, proximal region (close proximity to substrate). C . Lobe surface, distal region. D . Interior. Variability The holotype is the only known specimen. Comparisons Ushanaia solida gen. et sp. nov. is substantially more fleshy than U. ferruginea gen. et sp. nov. and U. fervens , gen. et sp. nov. , differences to which are discussed further under these species. Differences to K. lobata gen. et sp. nov. , which may superficially resemble U. solida , are also discussed under that species. Habitat and distribution The holotype was collected in Manukau Harbour ( Fig. 1C ). No precise coordinates, depth or habitat information was recorded. From the remaining fragments of substrate on the colony’s base, it appears to have been growing on encrusting coralline algae.