Paragorgia alisonae SÁNCHEZ, 2005, sp. nov.
Creators: name: JUAN ARMANDO SÁNCHEZ
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2005
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Cnidaria
Anthozoa
Alcyonacea
Paragorgiidae
Paragorgia
Paragorgia alisonae

description: Paragorgia alisonae sp. nov.
(Figs. 17–21)
Material examined. Holotype: NIWA 3312, H­842, J213, Z9596, 48° 01’S – 166° 05’E, “Otara hill”, 980 m, 27 November 1998 (col. J. Wills, FV Amatal Explorer 1171/25, bottom trawl).
Paratypes: NIWA 3313, P­1395, J224 and NIWA 3314, P­1396, J244 same as holotype locality; NIWA 3315, P­1397, J211, Z9595, 48° 01’S – 166° 06’E, “Otara hill”, 940– 1180 m, 27 November 1998 (col. J. Wills, FV Amatal Explorer, 1171/24, bottom trawl); NIWA 3316, P­1398, J248, Z8981, 44° 57.68’–56.75’S – 174° 11.23’–09.56’E, south­west Chatham Rise, 1041–1052 m, 5 December 1997 (RV Tangaroa 9713/37, bottom trawl); NIWA 3317, P­1399, J250, Z9583, 48° 02.1' S – 166° 06.1' E, “Doghill seamount”, 935m, 25 Nov 1998 (col. J. Wills, FV Amatal Explorer 1171/12, bottom trawl).
Diagnostic characters. Surface of the cortex (including calyx surface) contains highly ornate sclerites (radiate derived, like capstans), oval shaped, up to 0.09 mm in length with multiple and particular blunt lobes on the rays (Fig. 18 D–F, 19D–F).
Description. Large colonies, holotype and paratypes composed of multiple fragments <200 mm in maximum length (Fig. 17 A–B). Some colonies (paratypes) up to a meter in height and 43 mm in diameter (e.g., Fig. 17 C–D). Robust branches down to 3–5 mm at the slimmer parts (Fig. 17 B). Colonies with simple lateral branching; every major branch carrying multiple short lateral branches, as observed in most octocorals (e.g., Sánchez et al. 2004), tending upward and in one­plane, with branch tips usually ending in a bulb. Colony surface in high relief, though some colonies (paratypes) have autozooids toward one side of colony. Numerous conical, semi­closed, autozooid polyp apertures up to 4 mm in diameter with the tendency to irregularly aggregate as nodules (Fig. 17). Bright red color, white/red mixed medulla, extended polyps pale yellow. Medulla in the terminal branches with 3–8 major canals plus numerous smaller canals; subsurface also with small canals. Autozooid polyp tentacles with ovals, similar to other Paragorgia spp., up to 0.13 mm long, regularly but not profusely ornate with smooth conical rays (Figs. 18 A–C, 19A–C) and sometimes shorter and profusely ornate (e.g., Fig. 18 B). Surface sclerites oval, highly ornate, radiate­derived, capstan­like sclerites (Fig. 18 D–E, 19D–E), averaging 0.078 mm in length (0.005 SD, n=10, NIWA 3312; 0.006 SD, n=10, NIWA 3315). Oval surface sclerites 1.5 times longer than wide, averaging 0.05 mm in width (0.002 SD, n = 10, NIWA 3312 = 3315). Subsurface with intermediate forms to longer spindle­like sclerites (Figs. 18 D, 19D). Medulla with long and slim, slightly bent but mostly straight, moderately ornate, spindles up to 0.4 mm in length (Figs. 18 H, 19G).
Morphological variation. The two specimens used for the description, NIWA 3312 and 3315, are nearly identical in all characters with overall low variation probably because they came from the same locality. However, specimens NIWA 3316–17 from different locations comprised larger and thicker specimens, almost resembling P. arborea colonies, Fig. (17C–D), and with autozooid mostly located towards one side. The sclerites, although not identical to those from the specimens from the type locality, fall within the overall forms and characters for P. alisonae sp. nov. (Figs. 20–21).
m); D–F, radiate sclerites from the colony surface (scales 10 m) (E and F are stereo pairs); G, sclerites from the colony medulla (scales 100 m).
m); E–G, radiate sclerites from the colony surface (scales 10 m) (F and G are stereo pairs); H, sclerites from the colony medulla (scales 100 m).
Distribution. P. alisonae is known from the type locality at 980 m depth, from The Snares, south of Stewart Island, southwest of the Chatham Rise, and Dog Hill seamount all locations in the New Zealand EEZ around 935–1180 m (Fig. 2).
Species comparisons. P. alisonae is related to P. splendens in many aspects but their differences are also straightforward. These two species present similar surface sclerites as well as pale yellow extended autozooid polyps, projecting from similar conical structures. However, P. alisonae has more robust terminal branches than P. splendens, sometimes as thick as P. arborea. Surface sclerites, a diagnostic character, are near perfectly oval in P. alisonae (1.5 times longer than wider) whereas in P. splendens these are enlarged (1.7 times) with less ray ornaments. It is important to mention that under optical microscope the surface sclerites from these two species are nearly identical and SEM is highly recommended to further tell them apart.
Etymology. The species name is dedicated to my wife Alison R. Acosta­de­Sánchez.
description: Published as part of JUAN ARMANDO SÁNCHEZ, 2005, Systematics of the bubblegum corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Paragorgiidae) with description of new species from New Zealand and the Eastern Pacific, pp. 1-72 in Zootaxa 1014 on pages 31-36, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.169657