Tanacetipathes

Loiola, Livia L. & Castro, Clovis B., 2005, Tanacetipathes Opresko, 2001 (Cnidaria: Antipatharia: Myriopathidae) from Brazil, including two new species, Zootaxa 1081, pp. 1-31 : 29-30

Key to the species of the genus Tanacetipathes

1. Colonies with many secondary pinnules on the posterior primaries (usually more than 8 per pinnule); secondary pinnules frequently on the polypar side of primaries .......... 2

­ Colonies with few secondary pinnules on the posterior primaries (usually less than 7 per pinnule); secondary pinnules rarely on the polypar side of primaries .................... 3

2. Colonies unbranched or with branches arising from near the colony basis [See Warner, fig. 2, branches on upper part of corallum]; posterior primary pinnules with up to 18 (more frequently 8–10) secondaries; 1–2 small tertiary pinnules, only on proximal secondary pinnules; polypar spines 0.09–0.30 mm tall, abpolypar spines 0.02–0.21mm .... ...................................................................................................................... T. thamnea

­ Colonies with branches arising far from the colony basis, resulting in a fan shape; posterior primary pinnules with up to 42 (more frequently 11–15) secondaries; 2–5 tertiary pinnules, irregularly distributed on both proximal and distal secondary pinnules; polypar spines 0.06–0.14 mm tall, abpolypar spines 0.03–0.06 mm .............................. ........................................................................................................ T. thallassoros n. sp.

3. Three­seven elongated abpolypar secondary pinnules per primary, distributed along the whole pinnule .......................................................................................................... 4

­ Less than three elongated abpolypar secondary pinnules per primary, more frequently set near the pinnule origin ............................................................................................. 7

4. Secondary and tertiary pinnules long: secondaries maximum length 19–47 mm; tertiaries maximum length 19–26 mm ................................................... T. longipinnula n. sp.

­ Secondary and tertiary pinnules short: secondaries maximum length 7–22 mm; tertiaries maximum length 5–10 mm ..................................................................................... 5

5. Monopodial colonies or colonies with branches up to the 2nd [mostly 1st] order mainly arising from near the base ........................................................................... T. tanacetum

­ Colonies densely branched........................................................................................... 6

6. Branches arranged irregularly; occasionally branches arranged in groups of three or four, arising on the same region of the axis; colonies tending to arborescent; primary pinnules maximum length 15 mm ............................................................. T. spinescens

­ Branches arranged laterally, maximum of two arising on the same region of the axis; colonies fan shaped; primary pinnules maximum length 25–30 mm ................. T. hirta

7. Colonies branched up to the 2nd order; tertiaries absent.................................... T. wirtzi

­ Colonies branched up to the 5th order; tertiaries present (may be missing oin some secondaries) ....................................................................................................................... 8

8. Primary pinnules up to 45 mm long ......................................................... T. barbadensis

­ Primary pinnules less than 20 mm long ................................................... T. cavernicola