Description

Description. The holotype is a fragile and slim single branch up to 2 mm in diameter at the portions without autozoids (Fig. 30). Autozoids with gregarious tendency, with clusters up to 7 mm in diameter, but occasionally isolated on the other portions of the branch (Fig. 30). Autozooid polyps fully retracted. Autozooid polyp apertures low. Colony easily breakable, 50 mm in length (Fig. 30). Color variable between pink and red. Medulla in the terminal portion of the branch perforated by 5 – 7 small, circular, internal canals. Polyps with blunt, long spindles in tentacles, up to 0.1 mm in length, with radial ornate belts of multiple acute cones (Fig. 31 A – C). Surface sclerites highly ornate, 8 ­ radiate­derived, capstan­like sclerites (Fig. 31 D – H), averaging 0.07 mm (0.004 SD, n = 10). Surface sclerites 1.7 times longer than wide, averaging 0.04 mm in width (0.002 SD, n = 10). Subsurface with spindle­like sclerites of intermediate form. Medulla with long, slim, highly ornate, spindles up to 0.3 mm in length (Fig. 31 I). Morphological variation. Unfortunately, only one specimen was available for this species. It was possible to see a great deal of variability in the ornamentation of the surface and medulla sclerites.

Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Cnidaria

Class: Anthozoa

Order: Scleralcyonacea

Family: Coralliidae

Genus: Paragorgia

Species: Paragorgia wahine Sánchez, 2005