Heterogorgia Verrill, 1868

Breedy, Odalisca, Murillo-Cruz, Catalina & Cortés, Jorge, 2024, A new species of Heterogorgia Verrill, 1868 (Octocorallia, Malacalcyonacea) from a mesophotic fishing shoal in the eastern Pacific, Zootaxa 5501 (4), pp. 573-582 : 575

Genus Heterogorgia Verrill, 1868

Heterogorgia Verrill, 1868: 413 ; Verrill, 1869: 450 (emended); Studer, 1887: 57; Wright & Studer, 1889: 55; Nutting, 1910: 87; Kükenthal, 1919: 844; Kükenthal, 1924: 229–230; Bayer, 1956: F206; Harden, 1979: 112; Bayer, 1981: 931; Castro, 1990: 412–415; Breedy & Guzman, 2005: 801–803; Vargas et al., 2010: 4; Castro et al., 2010: 776 ; Breedy & Guzman, 2011: 28 .

Type species. Heterogorgia verrucosa Verrill, 1868 , by subsequent designation ( Nutting, 1910: 87).

Diagnosis (modified from Breedy & Guzman, 2011)

The axis is horny with a chambered central core. Colonies are composed of several stout stems that could be unbranched or branch laterally and irregularly. They arise from spreading holdfasts or incrust on crevices. The coenenchyme is thin to moderately thick, mostly with a granulose surface.All sclerites are colourless. Coenenchymal sclerites are: radiates, strongly and unevenly tuberculated spindles, that may be branched, irregular spindle-derived forms, and crosses with the four arms of the same or different length. Club-like sclerites could be present. Polyps are retractile within protruding calyces; neck zone of the anthocodiae is with or without sclerites. Polyps are from bright yellow to colourless when alive and whitish when preserved in ethanol. Anthocodiae have a well-defined collaret consisting of one or more transverse rows of spindles that could be long, strong, and bent; and points consisting of long spiny spindles en chevron. Calyces are prominent, with a lobed rim that is armed with projecting thorns. Colour of the colonies is white, beige, or greyish; or of darker hues when dried.