Astrogorgia Verrill, 1868

Breedy, Odalisca & Guzman, Hector M., 2015, A revision of the genus Muricea Lamouroux, 1821 (Anthozoa, Octocorallia) in the eastern Pacific. Part I: Eumuricea Verrill, 1869 revisited, ZooKeys 537, pp. 1-32 : 18

Taxon classification Animalia Alcyonacea Plexauridae

Genus Astrogorgia Verrill, 1868

Astrogorgia Verrill, 1868b: 414; Verrill 1870: 77-78; Bayer 1981: 931 (in key); Grasshoff 1999: 38; 2000: 67; Fabricius and Alderslade 2001: 210-213; Hermanlimianto and Ofwegen 2006: 103.

Muricella Kükenthal, 1924: 169.

Acanthomuricea Fabricius & Alderslade, 2001: 212.

Type species.

Astrogorgia sinensis Verrill, 1868b by monotypy.

Diagnosis

[based on Grasshoff (2000), Fabricius and Alderslade (2001), Hermanlimianto and Ofwegen (2006)]. Colonies growing in one plane as open fans, with irregular lateral branching, never net-like. Polyps retractile into raised calyces, arranged in rows or all around the branches. Coenenchymal sclerites mostly spindles, straight, curved, branched, heavily ornamented with complex tubercles, and prickles; and smaller spindles and some capstans in the inner-coenenchyme. Anthocodiae with numerous flattened sclerites around the tentacle bases and up the tentacles in numerous oblique rows. Collaret does not occur. Colour of the colonies, various hues of red, orange, yellow, whitish or yellowish brown.