Plumapathes fernandezi (Pourtalès, 1874)

Fig. 35

Antipathes fernandezii Pourtalès, 1874: 47; Pourtalès, 1880: pl. 3, fig. 20.

Parantipathes? fernandezi: Brook, 1889: 144; Looser, 1926: 272, fig. 38.

Antipathes fernandezi: Opresko, 1972: 972–975, fig. 4; Opresko, 2001: 362; Echeverría, 2002: 1075–1076.

Plumapathes fernandezi: Opresko, 2001 a: 362 –363; Loiola, 2007: 257.

Type and type locality: MCZ ANTI–25 (lectotype) and MCZ 139943 (paralectotype): Juan Fernández Archipelago, off Chile, between 118 and 402 m.

Diagnosis. Branched colony, usually in a plane; main axis and branches pinnulate; single and bilateral pinnules, arranged alternately along the length of the axis; interpinnular distance of 2–4 mm. Spines smooth, compressed and ensiform on the pinnules; long, conical and acute on the branches and main axis; slightly larger on the side of the axis that carries the polyps; arranged in eight longitudinal rows; 55–60 per centimeter in each row. Small polyps, 1.0 mm in length and 0.2–0.5 mm apart from each other; in a single row and restricted to one side of the corallum (Opresko, 1972).

Distribution. Juan Fernandez Archipelago, off Chile (Pourtalès, 1874; Opresko, 1972) and off Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (fig. 35) (Echeverría, 2002); from 118 m to 402 m depths (Pourtalès, 1874).