Radicipes kopelatos Cordeiro, Castro & Pérez, 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Cordeiro, Ralf T. S.
name: Castro, Clovis B.
name: Pérez, Carlos D.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Cnidaria
Anthozoa
Alcyonacea
Chrysogorgiidae
Radicipes
Radicipes kopelatos

description: Radicipes kopelatos sp. nov.
(Fig. 2 H, 8, 9)
Radicipes sp.1: Castro et al., 2006: 170 (listed only). Radicipes sp. 2: Castro et al., 2006: 170 (listed only).
Holotype: MNRJ 8566, 21°48’49”S, 40°01’53”W, 592.4–618.8 m
Paratypes: MNRJ 5968, 13°22’17”S, 38°36’56”W, 750 m (3 colonies); MNRJ 4361, same collection data of the holotype (55 colonies).
Diagnosis: Radicipes with malleable colonies clockwise or counterclockwise spiraled in an upward trend. Axis with iridescent aspect and calcareous rhizoidal holdfast. Slender coenenchyme, easily detachable from axis. Uniserial line of polyps with basal portion appressed to axis and an obliquous distal portion oriented upward. Polyps to 3.5 mm long. Polypar distances 1.0–4.00 mm. Body wall and coenenchyme of polypar line with rods, sometimes flattened, usually with flattened ends, longitudinally arranged. Coenenchymal flattened scales with median waist equally abundant. Sclerites in abpolypar face rare or absent, except on polyp bases.
Description of the holotype: Colony whip-like, malleable, unbranched, white, with counterclockwise spiraled upward trend, approximately 28 cm long (Fig. 2 H). Axis with iridescent aspect, 0.7–1.0 mm diameter, rhizoidal holdfast with 5 main projections, each to 5.7 mm long. Slender coenenchyme, easily detachable from axis. Polyps with basal portion appressed to axis and oblique distal portion 0.8–3.3 mm long, upward oriented (Fig. 8 B), arranged in single longitudinal row along entire colony (uniserial), delimiting one polypar and another abpolypar face, the former usually facing inner part of colony spiral. Inter-polypar distances 1.50–3.40 mm. Density of polyps 2–4 per centimeter. Body wall (Fig. 8 A) and coenenchyme of polypar line (Fig. 8 C) with finely tuberculated rods, sometimes flattened, usually with flattened ends, longitudinally arranged and sometimes sparse, 0.16–0.60 mm long. Coenenchymal flattened scales with median waist equally abundant, 0.15–0.25 mm long (Fig. 8 E). Sclerites in abpolypar face rare or absent except on polyp bases. Adaxial and basal portion of polyps frequently filled with waisted scales similar to those of coenenchyme, slightly smaller than the spindles, 0.10–0.18 mm long (Fig. 8 D). Scales of tentacles striated and ornamented with sparse, small tubercles, 0.08–0.12 mm long (Fig. 8 B).
Variability of paratypes: Colonies white or yellowish, also clockwise spiraled in an upward trend (Fig. 9 A), to 58 cm long, with smooth, white, root-like and calcareous holdfast, typical for attaching on soft bottoms (Fig. 9 C). Polyps 0.8–3.5 mm long. Polypar distances 1.0–4.00 mm. Density of polyps usually decreasing in base-apex direction, with up to 5 polyps per centimeter on the proximal 2/3 of the colony and 4–3 polyps per centimeter on the distal third.
Remarks: Radicipes is a monophyletic genus (Pante et al., 2012), but it probably is the one with the poorest descriptions in terms of morphological characteristics within Chrysogorgiidae and a review of its species is imperative. As in other groups within the Chrysogorgiidae, the sclerite forms in Radicipes have little variation (usually rods and scales). The main distinction between species is the distribution of these sclerites throughout the colony and polyp.
There are no recent reviews on the genus Radicipes in the Atlantic. The two last works that present some discussion of the genus were given by Deichmann (1936) and Madsen (1944). The former includes the analysis of only one specimen, identified by the author as R. gracilis. Deichmann (1936), however, provides only information already given in the species description by Verrill (1922), not mentioning well-established characteristics in previous taxonomic keys and leaving aside even length measurements of polyps; an important taxonomic character of the group—see Kükenthal (1919, 1924). The study published by Madsen (1944) has the most complete descriptions and illustrations about the genus, but unfortunately includes only Atlantic species. Several important features raised by Madsen (1944) distinguish Radicipes kopelatos sp. nov. from other Atlantic species. Radicipes challengeri has practically no sclerites between the zooids, with spaces of up to 2 mm between coenenchymal sclerites. In Radicipes gracilis, Madsen (1944) describes that the coenenchyme is almost all filled with 8-shaped challengeri and R. gracilis.?Unknown data
scales, whereas R. kopelatos sp. nov. has rods equally abundant. Diagnostic features for all other valid species of the genus are compared to Radicipes kopelatos sp. nov. in Table 2.
This is the first description of a species of Radicipes from the South Atlantic.
Etymology: Greek kope, f. oar; kopelatos, like an oar (see Brown, 1956: 566); referring to the flattened ends of its coenenchymal rods. Gender male.
Distribution: Known only from the type locality, Southeastern Brazil, 592–750 m depth.
description: Published as part of Cordeiro, Ralf T. S., Castro, Clovis B. & Pérez, Carlos D., 2015, Deep-water octocorals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia) from Brazil: Family Chrysogorgiidae Verrill, 1883, pp. 81-100 in Zootaxa 4058 (1) on pages 94-96, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4058.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/241598