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 Genus Leiopathes Haime, 1849 Type-species. Antipathes glaberrima Esper, 1792 (by original designation). Diagnosis. “Corallum irregularly sympodially branched but not pinnulate; branching multidirectional or flabellate. Branchlets arranged irregularly, loosely bilateral or uniserial, usually bent to some degree. Spines small, simple with smooth surface; triangular, conical or blister-shaped, often poorly developed or absent on older parts of the corallum. Polyps with 12 mesenteries; round with well-developed tentacles, arranged in a single row at terminal branchelets. Adjacent polyps often unequal” ( Molodtsova, 2011 ). Remarks. Phylogenetic studies (using mtIGRs, CO3-CO1, and nuclear sequences 18S and 28S), match with well-defined diagnostic features, pointing to the monophyly of the monogeneric Family Leiopathidae , which may require the establishment of a higher taxonomic status ( Brugler et al ., 2013 ; Wagner & Opresko, 2015 ). The genus Leiopathes is composed of nine species which have been widely recorded around the globe, at depths ranging from 37 to 2400 m , but no records for the South Atlantic hitherto. Within the genus Leiopathes , there are two easily distinguishable forms in terms of branching patterns: sparsely branched forms with long terminal branches [ L. glaberrima (Esper, 1792) ; L. valdiviae (Pax, 1915) ; L. acanthophora Opresko, 1998 ; L. bullosa Opresko,1998 ; L. montana Molodtsova, 2011 ; and L. annosa Wagner & Opresko, 2015 ] and forms with short fan-shaped branches ( L. expansa Johnson, 1899 ; L. grimaldii Roule, 1902 ; and L. secunda Opresko, 1998 ). In the latter group, the terminal branches usually occur on the convex side of larger, fan-shaped branches ( Molodtsova, 2011 ; Opresko, 1998 ). Distribution. Indian Ocean, Atlantic and Hawaii ( Molodtsova, 2011 ).