Digitogorgia Zapata-Guardiola and López-González, 2010

Zapata-Guardiola, Rebeca & López-González, Pablo J., 2010, Redescription of Thouarella brucei Thomson and Ritchie, 1906 (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Primnoidae) and description of two new Antarctic primnoid species, Zootaxa 2616, pp. 48-68 : 56-57

Genus Digitogorgia Zapata-Guardiola and López-González, 2010

Diagnosis (modified from the original description, modifications in bold). Primnoidae with bottlebrush colonies and simple branchlets. Polyps elongated, cylindrical, markedly curved upwards to the branch, and arranged in whorls. Accessory operculars eight in number, stick shaped, close to eight operculars. Marginal scales without thorn or keel, eight in number, folding over operculars. Opercular and marginal scales, with pointed digitations distally, attenuated in body scales. Body scales in eight complete longitudinal rows. Coenenchyme with two layers: outer layer of oval shaped scales, inner layer with irregular tuberculate sclerites.

Remarks on diagnosis. During the study of Digitogorgia brochi sp. nov. we observed the presence of an additional inner layer of irregular tuberculate coenenchymal sclerites. Coenenchymal sclerites were described as a single layer of scales in the type species D. kuekenthali Zapata-Guardiola and López-González, 2010 . After a re-examination of the coenenchyme of the holotype ZIZMH C11740 and paratype USNM 1128575 (2 fragments as BEIM-CRO- 30 in Zapata-Guardiola and López-González, 2010b: 317) of D. kuekenthali , an inner layer of irregular tuberculate sclerites ( Figure 7 ) was also observed.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Coenenchymal scales from inner layer of Digitogorgia kuekenthali: A, holotype (ZMH C 11740), optical microscope view; B, paratype USNM 1128575 (2 fragments deposited as BEIM-CRO- 30 in Zapata-Guardiola and López-González (2010 b: 317), SEM view.