Description

Description. Profusely branching colonies up to 230 mm in length (holotype) with terminal branches down to 3 – 4 mm in diameter (Fig. 28 A). Numerous short, lateral branches arise from the main branches with an irregular but clavate appearance (Fig. 28 A). Autozooid (and siphonozooid) polyps located towards one side of the colony (Fig. 28 B) whereas the other side has only siphonozooids (Fig. 28 C). There is a regular trend for the autozooids to form clumps, but many autozooids are several millimeters apart from each other. Cortex red and thick (~> 0.5 mm) containing siphonozooids fairly uniformly­distributed ~ 0.5 mm apart. Medulla perforated by 3 – 4 main axial canals at terminal branches, usually surrounded by red sclerites. Autozooid polyp tentacles with blunt ovals, slightly thicker than in most Paragorgia spp., up to 0.1 mm in length and 0.5 mm width, regularly and profusely ornate with conical tubercles (Fig. 29 A – C). Surface of the cortex, including autozooid aperture, with comparatively (among Paragorgia spp.) large 7 ­ to 8 ­ radiate sclerites up to 0.09 mm averaging 0.076 mm in length (0.008 SD, n = 10) (Fig. 29 D – F). Rays nearly symmetrical with smooth surfaces but occasional lobulated (Fig. 29 D – F). Surface radiates between 1.65 times longer than wider, averaging 0.04 mm in width (0.004 SD, n = 10). Medulla with ornate (red and colorless) but smooth and blunt spindles up to 0.33 mm in length averaging 0.28 mm (0.03 SD, n = 10) (Fig. 29 G). Holotype with a commensal white anemone. Morphological variation. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make specimen comparisons since only one specimen of P. aotearoa sp. nov. was available. Overall, intracolonial variation of sclerites and other features is very low, with rather low variation in surface radiates: a character where most of the variation in form is present in Paragorgia spp.

Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Cnidaria

Class: Anthozoa

Order: Scleralcyonacea

Family: Coralliidae

Genus: Paragorgia

Species: Paragorgia aotearoa Sánchez, 2005