Description

Description. Fragile, slim colonies with branches 3 – 4 mm in diameter at the portions without autozooids (Fig. 32). Autozooids with gregarious tendency in the branches with clusters up to 7 mm in diameter, but also isolated on slimmer portions of the branches (Fig. 32). Autozooid polyps extended in alcohol­preserved specimens; sweeper tentacles, pale yellow. Autozooid polyp apertures conical, semi­closed, projecting up to 2 mm from the branch. Colony easily breakable, larger fragments 63 mm in length (holotype: Fig. 32 A). Color bright red (NIWA 3436) to pink (NIWA 3439), with a white medulla. Medulla at the terminal branches visibly perforated by 2 – 5 large circular internal canals. Polyps with blunt spindles in the tentacles, up to 0.1 mm in length, with radially ornate belts of multiple acute cones (Fig. 33 A – C). Surface sclerites highly ornate, 8 ­ radiate­derived, capstanlike sclerites (Fig. 33 D – E), averaging 0.089 mm (0.005 SD, n = 10, NIWA 3436; 0.008 SD, n = 10, NIWA 3439). Surface sclerites 1.65 – 1.74 times longer than wide, averaging 0.05 mm in width (0.004 SD, n = 10, NIWA 3436; 0.006 SD, n = 10, NIWA 3439). Subsurface with forms intermediate to longer spindle­like sclerites (Fig. 33 D). Medulla with long, slim, mostly straight, moderately ornate, spindles up to 0.5 mm in length (Fig. 33 G). Morphological variation. Owing to the small and fragmented nature of the studied material the full range of sizes for P. w h e ro sp. nov. is unknown. In any case, the branches are so fragile it is unlikely that the species attains a large size.

Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Cnidaria

Class: Anthozoa

Order: Scleralcyonacea

Family: Coralliidae

Genus: Paragorgia

Species: Paragorgia whero Sánchez, 2005