Mopseidae Gray, 1870

Saucier, Esprit Heestand, France, Scott C. & Watling, Les, 2021, Toward a revision of the bamboo corals: Part 3, deconstructing the Family Isididae, Zootaxa 5047 (3), pp. 247-272 : 267

Family Mopseidae Gray, 1870 n. rank

Circinisidinae Grant, 1976

Peltastisidinae Grant, 1976

Type genus: Mopsea Lamouroux, 1816

Diagnosis. After Alderslade and McFadden (2012). Colony branched or unbranched, branches arising predominantly from internodes but also from nodes. Axial internodes with longitudinal ridges, sometimes ornamented with large or small spines, denticles, or granules. Coenenchyme thin. Sclerites of coenenchyme spindles, platelets, crosses, or more rarely nodules or goblets. Polyps contractile, sometimes angled to the branch surface, adaxially reduced, with or without adaxial sclerites, or more-or-less erect and completely covered with sclerites. Body sclerites in the form of smooth, tuberculate, or thorny scales or plates arranged either transversely or longitudinally, rarely in a disorganized pattern.Anthopomal (distal body) sclerites intermesenterially situated and forming a protective cover over the contracted tentacles. Tentacle rachis with crescentic scales.

Included genera: Acanthoisis Studer [& Wright], 1887; Chathamisis Grant, 1976 ; Echinisis Thomson & Rennet, 1931 ; Iotisis Alderslade, 1998 ; Jasminisis Alderslade, 1998 ; Ktenosquamisis Alderslade, 1998 ; Lissopholidisis Alderslade, 1998 ; Minuisis Grant, 1976 ; Mopsea Lamouroux, 1816 ; Myriozotisis Alderslade, 1998 ; Notisis Gravier, 1913 ; Oparinisis Alderslade, 1998 ; Paracanthoisis Alderslade, 1998 ; Peltastisis Nutting, 1910 ; Primnoisis Studer [& Wright], 1887; Pteronisis Alderslade, 1998 ; Sclerisis sensu Bayer & Stefani, 1987 (a); Sphaerokodisis Alderslade, 1998 ; Tenuisis Bayer & Stefani, 1987 (a); Tethrisis Alderslade, 1998 .

Remarks. Grant (1976) erected the subfamilies Circinisidinae and Peltastisidinae in the family Isididae to distinguish a small group of genera from the members of the Mopseinae. Alderslade (1998) accepted the Circinisidinae on the basis of the distinctly smooth body sclerites (that is, lacking spines or complex tubercles on the exposed face and never having a dentate or thorny free margin), but rejected the Peltastisidinae, suggesting that Grant’s interpretation of the sclerite arrangement forming the opercular covering was in error. We have combined the Circinisidinae into the Mopseidae since both groups form one distinct clade in the molecular tree. Further molecular work may show the two groups to form subfamilies within the Mopseidae , but at present that cannot be supported because genera currently assigned to the Mopseinae would make the subfamily paraphyletic.