Anthothela Verrill, 1879

Moore, Kirrily M., Alderslade, Philip & Miller, Karen J., 2017, A taxonomic revision of Anthothela (Octocorallia: Scleraxonia: Anthothelidae) and related genera, with the addition of new taxa, using morphological and molecular data, Zootaxa 4304 (1), pp. 1-212 : 19

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4304.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3D557C94-0783-4C39-80C3-9C321DA94800

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6015359

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039B87ED-3E53-FFA2-FF4B-E7D87DF6D9C6

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Anthothela Verrill, 1879
status

 

Anthothela Verrill, 1879 View in CoL

Anthothela Verrill, 1879a: 199 View in CoL ; 1883: 40; Studer 1887: 28; Wright & Studer 1889: xxxiii; (part) Broch 1912b: 4; 1916: 12–14;? Kükenthal 1916: 174; (part) 1919: 20–31, 43, 103–107, 685, 696, 725–728, 796, 818–826, 874–878, Tafel LVI Karte I., Tafel LXXV; (part) Verrill 1922: 18; (part) Kükenthal 1924: 9, 14; Aurivillius 1931: 10;? Deichmann 1936: 75, 78; (part) Stiasny 1937: 19; Carlgren 1945: 33; Bayer 1956a: 86; Bayer 1956b: F194; Bayer 1961: 67; Arantes & de Medeiros 2006: 12.

?Gymnosarca Saville Kent, 1870 but see Stiasny, 1937: 19.

Type species: Briareum grandiflorum Sars, 1856 , by designation

Diagnosis: Monomorphic scleraxonians which form both membranous and branched colonies. Branched colonies are tangled with no central or main stem; anastomoses common; cortex separated from medulla by a ring of intact coelenteric canals (boundary canals); coelenteric canals almost always absent from central medulla (occasionally present as only a thinning in the density of sclerites); calyces distinct, cylindrical to conical, spread irregularly throughout colonies with some free space between but tending to crowd together at branch tips; polyps often exsert but may be partly or fully invaginated into calyces; medulla sclerites are straight, simple sticks and spindles with light to moderate tuberculation; all other sclerites are sticks and spindles, clubs and hockeystick spindles, many clubs being bent with thorny tips; sticks and spindles are arranged as collaret and points on polyp head and longitudinally along the aboral side of the tentacle rachis; pinnules are crowded with longitudinally arranged, narrow spatulate clubs; the pharynx has small tuberculate rods. Membranous colonies are as above but lack a medulla.

Remarks: Specimens of Anthothela have historically been understood to be of relatively common occurrence amongst deep-water samples from the Northern Atlantic. In reality, the understanding of Anthothela had been so modified and expanded as to ultimately incorporate specimens which were actually from other genera. The removal of these specimens means the diagnosis of Anthothela has now been refined and tightened. The worldwide distribution of the genus remains with confirmed records from the North and South Atlantic Ocean, southern Indian Ocean, North and South Pacific Ocean and on the northern boundary of the Southern Ocean. All occurrences are restricted to cold waters with most specimens collected deeper than 100 m down to over 1800 m in depth.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Cnidaria

Class

Anthozoa

Order

Alcyonacea

Family

Anthothelidae

Loc

Anthothela Verrill, 1879

Moore, Kirrily M., Alderslade, Philip & Miller, Karen J. 2017
2017
Loc

Anthothela

Medeiros 2006: 12
Bayer 1961: 67
Bayer 1956: 86
Carlgren 1945: 33
Stiasny 1937: 19
Deichmann 1936: 75
Aurivillius 1931: 10
Kukenthal 1924: 9
Verrill 1922: 18
Kukenthal 1916: 174
Broch 1912: 4
Studer 1887: 28
Verrill 1879: 199
1879
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