Stylopathes Opresko, 2006

Lima, Manuela M., Cordeiro, Ralf T. S. & Perez, Carlos D., 2019, Black Corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) from the Southwestern Atlantic, Zootaxa 4692 (1), pp. 1-67 : 53-54

Genus Stylopathes Opresko, 2006

Type-species. Arachnopathes columnaris Duchassaing, 1870 (by original designation).

Diagnosis. “Corallum monopodial or very rarely branched. Stem (and branches when present) pinnulate. Primary pinnules simple or subpinnulate; arranged, in varying degrees of regularity, in three, occasionally four rows, and sometimes in quase-verticillate groupings of three or four. Subpinnules, when present, arranged singly, suboppositely, or in verticils of three or four (rarely five). Spines short, usually not more than 0.1 mm in height on the pinnules and subpinnules; smooth, conical, and inclined distally to varying degrees, especially near the tips of the subpinnules. Polyps 0.6 to 1.3 mm in transverse diameter; arranged uniserially and appearing transversally elongated on the pinnules and subpinnules” ( Opresko, 2006).

Remarks. Opresko (2006) established the genus Stylopathes based on the species Stylopathes columnaris and included in it four other species; S. americana (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860) , S. tenuispina (Silberfeld, 1909) , S. adinocrada Opresko, 2006 , and S. litocrada Opresko, 2006 . The species are differentiated mainly by the presence of subpinnules covering the “worm run”, length of the pinnules and degree of subpinnulation.

Distribution. Western Atlantic, Japan and IndoPacific ( Opresko, 2006).