Triadopathes 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 : 58-59

Genus Triadopathes Opresko, 2006

Type-species. Parantipathes triadocrada Opresko, 1999 (by original designation).

Diagnosis. “Corallum branched, larger branches arising mostly from near the base and ascending. Branches pinnulate. Pinnules arranged primarily, but not exclusively, in three axial rows, as well as in subverticillate groupings containing one pinnule from each row. Secondary and high order subpinnules arranged in similar pattern. Multiple orders of subpinnules arising on the lateral primary pinnules, but not uniformly developed from branch to branch. Branches, pinnules and subpinnules adhering and fusing. Spines simple, conical, smooth, with acute to rounded apex; usually 0.06–0.08 mm tall. Spines 0.16–0.30 mm apart in each row, with five to six spines per millimeter. Polyps not more than 1.2 mm in transverse diameter; with seven to eight polyps per centimeter.” ( Opresko, 2006).

Remarks. The genus Triadopathes Opresko, 2006 , up to this time monospecific, differs from the other genera belonging to the family Stylopathidae ( Stylopathes Opresko, 2006 ; Tylopathes Brook, 1889 ) by being extensively branched and having pinnules grouped, to varying degrees, in verticils of three and four, and to a lesser degree singly and in pairs. In contrast, in Stylopathes the pinnulation pattern can be similar to that in Triadopathes , but the corallum is monpodial or only very sparsely branched, and in Tylopathes the corallum is extensively branched, and the highest order branchlets are not uniform in size, number, or arrangement, and only rarely do they occur in groups of two or more, therefore, they are not very pinnular-like ( Opresko, 2006). Triadopathes also differs from the branched forms of the genus Antipathes Pallas, 1766 because it is has pinnules, a characteristic that does not occur within Antipathes ( Brugler et al., 2013) .

Distribution. Off the coast of Tasmania, Australia ( Opresko, 2006) and southwest Atlantic Ocean (this work).