Nanipora, Miyazaki, Yu & Reimer, James Davis, 2015

Miyazaki, Yu & Reimer, James Davis, 2015, A new genus and species of octocoral with aragonite calcium-carbonate skeleton (Octocorallia, Helioporacea) from Okinawa, Japan, ZooKeys 511, pp. 1-23 : 5

Taxon classification Animalia Helioporacea Lithotelestidae

Genus Nanipora gen. n.

Type species.

Nanipora kamurai sp. n., here designated.

Diagnosis.

Encrusting, partly stoloniferous colony with cylindrical calyces up to 5 mm tall, attached to hard substratum. Polyps monomorphic and retractile. Coenenchyme and calyces rigid with internal skeleton, not composed with fused sclerites but of unitary crystalline aragonite. Reticulate pattern on whole colony’s surface, made of tiny pores on the surface. Top of the calyx serrated, with 16-20 indentations. Longitudinal cavities in the calicular wall, connecting to solenial canals in the base of the colony. Interior of calyx smooth, lacking septae. Surface of calyces occasionally wrinkled. Completely lacks sclerites. Living colonies ivory or pale brown. Skeleton colourless. Azooxanthellate.

Etymology.

Named from the Japanese ‘nani’ plus latin ‘pora’: ‘nani’ means 'what is this?', as the genus is highly unusual in having an aragonitic skeleton; ‘pora’ is originally meaning of ‘pore’, name used for many anthozoan (especially scleractinian) species with porous skeleton. Gender is feminine.