Abyssopathes lyriformis, Opresko (2002)

Horowitz, Jeremy, Opresko, Dennis M. & Bridge, Tom C. L., 2018, Black corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) from the deep (916 m - 2542 m) Coral Sea, north-eastern Australia, Zootaxa 4472 (2), pp. 307-326 : 311-312

Abyssopathes lyriformis, Opresko (2002)

( FIgS. 1 ANd 2 )

Abyssopathes lyriformis, Opresko (2002): 421 ; Molodtsova & Opresko (2017): 355.

Material examined: MTQ MATeRIAL (PReSeRVed IN eTHYL ALCOHOL): G62078 (STATION dATA IN TAbLe 1).

Diagnosis (AfTeR OPReSkO 2002): CORALLUM MONOPOdIAL ANd PINNULATe. PINNULeS ARRANged IN TWO LATeRAL OR ANTeROLATeRAL ROWS ANd ONe MULTIPLe ANTeRIOR ROW CONTAININg TWO TO THRee TIMeS THe NUMbeR Of PINNULeS IN eITHeR LATeRAL ROW. LATeRAL PINNULeS SIMPLe; ANTeRIOR PINNULeS USUALLY WITH ONe, RAReLY TWO, SeCONdARY PINNULeS. TeRTIARY PINNULeS VeRY RAReLY PReSeNT ON SOMe SeCONdARY ANTeRIOR PINNULeS. BASAL LATeRAL PINNULeS CURVed POSTeRIORLY (AWAY fROM SIde WITH ANTeRIOR PINNULeS), WITH dISTAL eNdS Of THOSe IN ONe ROW dIReCTed TOWARdS THOSe IN OPPOSITe ROW, THUS fORMINg A SOMeWHAT OPeN fUNNeL-LIke STRUCTURe. DISTAL LATeRAL PINNULeS ONLY SLIgHTLY CURVed OR STRAIgHT. PINNULATed SeCTION Of CORALLUM INCLINed TO SUbSTRATe dUe TO ~45° beNd IN STeM NeAR bASe. LATeRAL PINNULeS 4 MM TO 5 MM APART, ReSULTINg IN 14 PINNULeS TOTAL PeR 3 CM. DeNSITY Of ANTeRIOR PINNULeS UP TO 13 PeR 2 CM. SPINeS ON THe LATeRAL PINNULeS CONICAL, COMPReSSed, 0.02 MM TO 0.04 MM LONg; THOSe ON ANTeRIOR PINNULeS ANd SUbPINNULeS UP TO 0.06 MM LONg ANd OfTeN INCLINed dISTALLY. THRee TO fOUR ROWS Of SPINeS SeeN IN LATeRAL VIeW; WITH THRee TO 11 SPINeS PeR 1 MM IN eACH ROW. POLYPS UNkNOWN.

Description of the CIDARIS Specimen: THe CIDARIS SPeCIMeN IS LIke THe TYPe IN bOTH THe ~45° ANgLe MAde beTWeeN THe PINNULATed SeCTION Of CORALLUM ANd THe SUbSTRATe ( FIgURe 2A ) ANd IN THe ARRANgeMeNT Of ANd dISTANCe beTWeeN PRIMARY PINNULeS. FOR eXAMPLe, THe LOWeST SeT Of LATeRAL PINNULeS ARe NeARLY OPPOSITe WITH THe ReST ALTeRNATINg UP THe STeM WITH dISTANCeS Of ~4 MM beTWeeN eACH ON ONe SIde Of THe STeM, ReSULTINg IN TWO TO THRee PINNULeS PeR 1 CM ( FIgURe 2b ). LATeRAL PINNULe deNSITY IS LIke THe TYPe IN THAT 14 PINNULeS CAN be COUNTed PeR 3 CM PROXIMALLY TO 12 PeR 3 CM APICALLY (COUNTINg PINNULeS ON bOTH SIdeS Of THe STeM) ( FIgURe 2b ). THRee ROWS Of SPINeS ON LATeRAL PINNULeS CAN be SeeN fROM ONe ASPeCT ( FIgURe 2C ) WITH AbOUT THRee TO fOUR SPINeS PeR 1 MM IN eACH ROW. SPINeS ARe TRIANgULAR OR ROUNded, COMPReSSed, ANd 0.01 MM TO 0.03 MM TALL ( FIgURe 2C ). ANTeRIOR PINNULeS ARe PReSeNT IN ASSOCIATION WITH MORe THAN HALf Of THe LATeRAL PINNULeS, RANge beTWeeN 0.05 MM ANd 3 MM IN LeNgTH, ANd HAVe eITHeR NONe OR ONe SeCONdARY PINNULe. THe MAXIMUM deNSITY Of THe ANTeRIOR PINNULeS IS 7 PeR 2 CM WHICH IS LeSS THAN THe 13 PeR 2 CM RePORTed fOR THe TYPe ( FIgURe 2A ). SPINeS ON ANTeRIOR PINNULeS ARe IRRegULARLY ANgLed, WITH MOST SPINeS eLONgATed ANd INCLINed dISTALLY ANd SOMe LeSS INCLINed/ TRIANgULAR, ALL Of WHICH ARe 0.03 MM TO 0.04 MM TALL ( FIgURe 2d ).

Remarks: Abyssopathes lyriformis IS CLOSeLY ReLATed TO A. lyra , HOWeVeR A. lyriformis HAS SeCONdARY PINNULeS WHILe A. lyra dOeS NOT (OR ONLY RAReLY). A. lyriformis ALSO HAS: 1) A HIgHeR deNSITY Of LATeRAL PINNULeS (14 PeR 3 CM VeRSUS 8 PeR 3 CM; 2) A HIgHeR deNSITY Of ANTeRIOR PINNULeS (13 PeR 2 CM VeRSUS <8 PeR 2 CM); ANd, 3) LARgeR SPINeS ON THe ANTeRIOR PINNULeS THAN ON LATeRAL PINNULeS, WHeReAS A. lyra HAS SUbeqUAL SPINe SIzeS ON LATeRAL ANd ANTeRIOR PINNULeS. LATeRAL PINNULe deNSITY Of THe CIDARIS SPeCIMeN IS LIke A. lyriformis , HOWeVeR THe ANTeRIOR PINNULe deNSITY IS LOWeR THAN THe TYPe (SeVeN PINNULeS PeR 2 CM). A LOWeR deNSITY Of ANTeRIOR PINNULeS WAS ALSO fOUNd IN A SPeCIMeN IdeNTIfIed AS A. lyriformis deSCRIbed IN MOLOdTSOVA & OPReSkO (2017) (eIgHT TO 12 PeR 2 CM). ALSO, LIke THe CIDARIS SPeCIMeN, MOLOdTSOVA & OPReSkO (2017) RePORTed ANTeRIOR PINNULeS WITH SMALLeR SPINeS THAN THe TYPe. THIS eITHeR ReVeALS PLASTICITY AMONg THeSe feATUReS OR POTeNTIALLY TWO dIffeReNT SPeCIeS, WARRANTINg geNeTIC TeSTS fOR CONfIRMATION.

Distribution: THIS SPeCIeS HAS beeN RePORTed fROM THe CeNTRAL PACIfIC, SOUTHeRN, WeST INdIAN, ANd WeST ATLANTIC OCeANS fROM dePTHS Of 3,475 M TO 4,892 M, ANd THIS STUdY eXPANdS THe dISTRIbUTION TO THe CORAL SeA, AUSTRALIA AT 2,542 M ( FIgURe 1C ), A RANge eXPANSION Of> 4,000 kM ANd dePTH RANge eXPANSION Of> 1,000 M.

Figures

FIGURE 1. a, Map of collection sites for the specimens in this study and other locations globally where the same species have been collected; b, view of the Central and Eastern Indo-Pacific region; c, new black coral records from the Coral Sea.

FIGURE 2. Abyssopathes lyriformis: a, G62078, lateral view of corallum showing 45° bend in stem near base and density and size of anterior pinnules; b, G62078, top view showing pinnule density; c, G62078, spines on a section of a lateral pinnule; d, G62078, single spine on anterior pinnule.