Black Corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) from the Southwestern Atlantic
Author
Lima, Manuela M.
Author
Cordeiro, Ralf T. S.
Author
Perez, Carlos D.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-11-05
4692
1
1
67
journal article
24975
10.11646/zootaxa.4692.1.1
ead7ec31-b9d4-49f3-a006-a67fff6ad623
1175-5326
3528942
F054DC68-6A7E-4C80-9094-8ECCA4502CD6
Antipathes furcata
Gray, 1857
Fig. 35
Antipathes furcata
Gray, 1857: 291
; Schultze, 1903:92;
Opresko, 1974: 60–67
, fig. 2;
Loiola & Castro, 2001: 2–4
, figs 2, 3, 4;
Opresko, 2003: 487
, fig. 3d;
Opresko & Sanchez, 2005: 497
, fig. 4;
Molodtsova, 2006: 148
.
Type and type locality.
BMNH
1843.2.6
or 8 (
holotype
, see
Opresko, 2003
),
Madeira
, depth unknown
.
Diagnosis.
“Small colonies (less than ~
20 cm
in height) fan-shaped, branched mostly in one plane; with very long, straight, ascending branches. Larger colonies (
20–40 cm
in height) densely branched, in a thick plane with numerous overlapping branches. Branches directed upward and away from the centre, with most reaching to the top of the corallum; branch angles very narrow, 30° or less. Spines short, triangular, smooth,
0.05–0.1 mm
tall and
0.07– 0.1 mm
wide at their base; arranged in 6–8 rows with 30–40 spines per centimeter in each row. Spines occasionally bifid or forked. Polyps 0.7–1.0 mm in transverse diameter; arranged in a single series on one side of branches; 6–8 polyps per centimeter. Colonies white in color when alive.” (
Opresko & Sanchez, 2005
).
Distribution.
Madeira Island (
Gray, 1857
), Caribbean Sea (
Opresko, 1974
;
Opresko & Sanchez, 2005
), and
Brazil
(fig. 35) (
Loiola & Castro, 2001
); from
15 m
, in Caribbean Sea (
Opresko & Sanchez, 2005
) to
2480 m
, in Northeastern Atlantic (
Molodtsova, 2006
).