Gorgoniidae, Lamouroux, 1812

Devictor, Susan T. & Morton, Steve L., 2010, Identification guide to the shallow water (0 - 200 m) octocorals of the South Atlantic Bight 2599, Zootaxa 2599 (1), pp. 1-62 : 22

Family Gorgoniidae

This family has the highest diversity in the SAB but is represented only by the genus Leptogorgia . The pinnate branching forms of Leptogorgia found here were at one time classified in the genus Lophogorgia , distinguished by their asymmetrical spindles with partially fused discs. Grasshoff (1988) found this feature to be true only of Atlantic species and not a consistent distinction based on species described from West Africa. As a result, he merged the Atlantic Lophogorgia species into Leptogorgia (senior synonym). The historical synonomizing and separation of Lophogorgia and Leptogorgia is further discussed by Breedy and Guzman (2007).

The Leptogorgia species are sometimes difficult to distinguish based on sclerites alone, and often colony morphology of the branching species is highly variable. The SAB members of this family have very small sclerites (<0.3 mm) spindles, capstans and flattened, scalloped rods. The horny axis is quite dense with little or no loculation and has a narrow, hollow, cross-chambered inner core. Polyps are retractile into low polyp mounds or flush coenenchyme.