Benayahu Yehuda, McFadden Catherine S, Shoham Erez, van Ofwegen Leen P
School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Israel.
Department of Biology, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711-5990, USA.
Zookeys. 2017 May 23(676):1-12. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.676.12751. eCollection 2017.
An octocoral survey conducted in the mesophotic coral ecosystem (MCE) of Eilat (Gulf of Aqaba, northern Red Sea) yielded a new species of the speciose reef-dwelling genus . It features encrusting colony morphology with a thin, funnel-shaped polypary. (family Alcyoniidae) is described and compared to the other congeners with similar morphology. Both the morphological and molecular examination justified the establishment of the new species, also assigning it to a new genetic clade within . The results highlight its unique phylogenetic position within the genus, and this is the first described species of a mesophotic zooxanthellate octocoral.
在埃拉特(亚喀巴湾,红海北部)的中光层珊瑚生态系统(MCE)中进行的八放珊瑚调查产生了一个来自种类丰富的栖息于珊瑚礁的属的新物种。它具有覆盖状群体形态,带有薄的漏斗形珊瑚虫外骨骼。描述了(软珊瑚科)并将其与其他具有相似形态的同属物种进行比较。形态学和分子学检查都证明了新物种的成立,同时也将其归入内的一个新遗传分支。结果突出了它在该属内独特的系统发育位置,并且这是首个被描述的中光层虫黄藻共生八放珊瑚物种。