Stichopathes occidentalis (Gray, 1860)

Lima, Manuela M., Cordeiro, Ralf T. S. & Perez, Carlos D., 2019, Black Corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) from the Southwestern Atlantic, Zootaxa 4692 (1), pp. 1-67 : 12

Stichopathes occidentalis (Gray, 1860)

Fig. 35

Cirrhipathes setacea var. occidentalis Gray, 1860: 311 .

Stichopathes occidentalis: Brook, 1889: 92–93 , figs. 7,8; Opresko & Sanchez, 2005: 500–501, figs. 9,10; Opresko, 2009: 362; Cordeiro et al., 2012: 826–828, figs 1,2; Opresko, 2014: 1–2, fig 1a.

Type and type locality. BMNH, Turks Island (Gray, 1860), depth unknown .

Diagnosis. “Gray’s type of this form is 2.74 m long, very slender and tapering; the base is 2 mm in diameter, and the apex 0.2 mm. The whole stem is like a slender whip lash, and shows no signs of spiral curvature. The spines are short and conical, but somewhat compressed. In more slender portions of the specimen they are arranged in dextrorse spirals which are about twice the length of a spine apart. Nearer the base the spiral arrangement is lost, and the spines are thicker and stand out horizontally” ( Brook, 1889).

Distribution. Turks Island (Gray, 1860), off West Africa, Islas das Rolas (Broch, 1920 apud Opresko, 2014), Caribbean Sea ( Opresko & Sanchez, 2005; Opresko, 2009), off Pernambuco, Brazil ( Cordeiro et al., 2012); and Ascension Island (fig. 35) (Opresko, 2014); from 30 m (Opresko, 2014) to 70 m depths ( Opresko, 2009).

Figures

FIGURE 35. Geographic distribution of antipatharians species occurring in the Southwestern Atlantic not analyzed in the present work.