Eugorgia panamensis (Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1864)

Figure 12, Plate 8A–C

Lophogorgia panamensis Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1864: 19; Harden 1979: 77 –79; Volpi & Benvenuti 2003: 58. Eugorgia panamensis Breedy and Guzman 2007: 17

Material examined. Holotype: MZUF 159 (figured specimen Duchassaing & Michelotti 1864), dry fragment, Isla Flamenco, Gulf of Panama, no further data.

Holotype description. Fragment of a colony 14.7 cm in height, and 5.5 cm in width. Branching seems to be irregularly dichotomous. Branches compressed at the lower part, reach up to 4 mm in diameter; they subdivide into more cylindrical branchlets 2–3 mm in diameter and tapered at the ends, with pointed tips of 0.5–1 mm in diameter. Unbranched final twigs reach up to 6 cm in length. Colony is light purple (Plate 8A). Marked longitudinal grooves occur along the thicker branches, and polyps are evenly distributed all around (Plate 8B). Polyp-apertures are small, up to 0.3 mm in diameter, and closely placed on the branch surface (Plate 8A–B). Coenenchymal sclerites are colourless, pink, and some bicoloured (Plate 8C); mostly double discs reach up to 0.06 mm in length and 0.05 mm in width (Fig. 12). Capstans reach up to 0.07 mm in length and 0.05 mm in width (Fig. 12). Spindles reach up to 0.14 mm in length, and 0.05 mm in width, with 4–6 whorls of warty tubercles (Fig. 12). No anthocodial sclerites were obtained in the samples for study.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality in the Gulf of Panama (Table 4).

Remarks. Eugorgia panamensis was described by Duchassaing and Michelotti (1864) in the genus Lophogorgia . They gave a brief diagnosis, but accurately illustrated the fragment of a colony that constitutes the holotype. This fragment could fit in E. excelsa or E. purpurascens, but some differences in the sclerites and uncertainty in other characters (as in the branching pattern) lead us to keep the specific status for the time being.