Tanacetipathes paula Pérez & Costa, 2005

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 : 34

Tanacetipathes paula Pérez & Costa, 2005

Fig. 35

Tanacetipathes paula Pérez & Costa, 2005 in Pérez, Costa & Opresko, 2005: 8–12, figs. 5–8; Nuttall, 2013.

Type and type locality. MNRJ 6031 (holotype): Archipelago Saint Peter Saint Paul , 53 m.

Diagnosis. “Corallum branched to 6th order; stem and branches pinnulate in bottlebrush pattern with up to three orders of pinnules. Primary pinnules arranged in four regular rows and in alternating biserial groups. Secondary pinnules present on both groups. Secondary pinnules occurring on both polypar and abpolypar sides of primary pinnules; often arranged in subopposite pairs, especially nearer the base of primaries. First secondary pinnule on abpolypar side of lateral primary pinnule always longer that others. Secondary pinnules are also more common on the posterior primary pinnules, than they are on the anterior primary pinnules. Anterior primary pinnules always with two secondary pinnules arranged in subopposite pair nearer the base of primary. Tertiary pinnules present on secondary pinnules of posterior primary pinnules. Primary pinnules usually not more than 1.9 cm long; secondary pinnules usually less than 0.75 cm long; tertiary pinnules usually less than 0.3 mm in length. Spines on pinnules simple, elongate, conical, acute, slightly papillose, and inclined distally; polypar spines mostly 0.20 mm but up to 0.25 mm tall; abpolypar spines smaller, mostly 0.16 mm but up to 0.18 mm tall. Spines arranged in 6-8 rows as seen in one lateral view of a pinnule; five spines per millimetre in each row” (Pérez et. al., 2005).

Remarks. Loiola & Castro (2005) suggest the synonymy of T. paula with T. thamnea ( Warner, 1981) . However, the holotype of T. paula differs from the holotype T. thamnea by presenting a more extensive branching pattern, and lower density of subpinnules on the primary pinnules (Pérez et. al., 2005). In addition, T. thammea has more extensive biserial subpinnulation and is typically monopodial or only sparsely branched somewhat in a plane ( Opresko, 2001).

Distribution. Off Archipelago Saint Peter Saint Paul (fig. 35), 53 m (Pérez et. al., 2005) and Northwestern Gulf of Mexico ( Nuttall, 2013).

Figures

FIGURE 35. Geographic distribution of antipatharians species occurring in the Southwestern Atlantic not analyzed in the present work.