Leptogorgia Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857

Breedy, Odalisca & Guzman, Hector M., 2005, A new species of Leptogorgia (Coelenterata: Octocorallia: Gorgoniidae) from the shallow waters of the eastern Pacific, Zootaxa 899, pp. 1-11 : 2-3

Genus Leptogorgia Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857

Synonymy. See Grasshoff, 1992: 54; Williams, 1992: 231; and Williams & Lindo, 1997: 500.

Type species. Gorgonia viminalis Pallas, 1766 , by subsequent designation: Verrill, 1869: 420; Mediterranean Sea.

Diagnosis. Gorgoniids with variable branching patterns: pinnate, dichotomous, or filiform. Branch anastomosis absent; although occasionally present in two species, L. gilchristi ( Hickson, 1904) and L. bayeri Williams & Lindo, 1997 . Axis horny, with a crosschambered central core containing a network of organic filaments frequently mineralized. Colonies with a simple or complex spreading holdfast, or without a holdfast and lying free on the sea floor. Coenenchymal sclerites are radiates and/or spindles, some with bent ends, with symmetrically or asymmetrically warty tuberculation. In some species, warts are fused into incomplete disks. Anthocodial sclerites usually flat rods and platelets. Colour variable: white, yellow, orange, red, violet, or brownish, and bicoloured (based on Williams 1992; Williams & Lindo 1997; Grasshoff 1988; Williams & Vennam 2001; Bayer & Macintyre 2001).

Distribution. Eastern Pacific (from southern California to Chile); western and southern Africa; western America; Caribbean Sea; Mediterranean Sea; south west Indian Ocean; and one subAntarctic species ( Verrill 1868, 1870; Grasshoff 1988, 1992, 1997; Williams & Lindo 1997).

Remarks. The taxonomic status of the Indian Ocean species of the genus Leptogorgia was thoroughly discussed by Williams and Lindo (1997), and Williams and Vennam (2001). Williams and Vennam (2001) decided to transfer these species of Leptogorgia to the genus Pseudopterogorgia Kükenthal, 1919 mainly based on the occurrence of scaphoid­like sclerites in the coenenchyme; consequently the distribution of Leptogorgia in the Indian Ocean could be invalid. However, more taxonomic research is needed before a zoogeographical pattern can be established.