Leptogorgia virgulata ( Lamarck, 1815 )

Devictor, Susan T. & Morton, Steve L., 2010, Identification guide to the shallow water (0 - 200 m) octocorals of the South Atlantic Bight 2599, Zootaxa 2599 (1), pp. 1-62 : 50

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2599.1.1

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A887A7-FFFF-7D7E-2A81-FDE3644EF95E

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Leptogorgia virgulata ( Lamarck, 1815 )
status

 

Leptogorgia virgulata ( Lamarck, 1815) View in CoL

( Figure 45 View FIGURE 45 )

? Gorgonia viminalis Pallas, 1766:184 View in CoL .— Ellis and Solander 1786:82; Plate 82; Plate12 fig. 1.—Esper 1791:(2)51; Plate

11. Gorgonia virgulata Lamarck, 1815:157 View in CoL Gorgonia ceratophyta, var. flava + var. rubra Donovan, 1825 (4):114, 115. Gorgonia flavida Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1860:32 ; Figs. 11–13 View FIGURE 11 View FIGURE 12 View FIGURE 13 .— Bielschowsky 1929:134. Leptogorgia floridana Verrill, 1864b:31 View in CoL . Leptogorgia tenuis Verrill, 1864a:8 View in CoL . Leptogorgia brasiliensis Verrill, 1912:392 ; Plate 29 figs. 3–3a; Plate 33 fig. 7; Plate 35 figs. 7–7a. Leptogorgia sulfurea Bielschowsky, 1929:126 View in CoL ; Fig. 20 View FIGURE 20 ; Plate 3 fig. 11. Leptogorgia virgulata View in CoL .— Bielschowsky 1929:127; Fig. 21 View FIGURE 21 ; Plate 3 fig. 12.— Deichmann 1936:177; Plate 19 figs. 24–

34.— Bayer 1961:216; Fig. 66; Plate VII fig. 7.— Cairns et al. 2002:35.

Material examined. SERTC S2488 , 6.7 m, Charleston, South Carolina, November 19, 1971 . SERTC S 2489, 2 m, Georgetown County, South Carolina, August 3, 1970 . SERTC S2713 , 8.5 m, off South Carolina, December 12, 2002 ; SERTC S 2714, 31 m, off Wassaw Island , Georgia, June 3, 2004 .

Remarks. Leptogorgia virgulata is one of the most common octocoral species in the SAB. Colonies have a distinctive colony form with whip-like branches, moderately branching near the attached base, and can approach a height of one meter. The branches are 2–5 mm in diameter with multiple rows of polyp mounds all around, sometimes with a bare strip. Polyp mounds are moderately prominent to flush with the surrounding coenenchyme. The coenenchyme contains short (<0.1 mm), asymmetrical disk spindles and longer (0.15 mm) sculptured spindles, while flat rods are observed near the polyp mound apertures. The flat, serrate anthocodial rods are at most half the length of the longest spindles. Colonies may be uniform yellow, orange, purple, white, or various shades in between, with corresponding spicular coloration.

This species is found in shallow reef environments and can tolerate low salinity environments such as tidal creeks and bays. L. virgulata is often colonized by the barnacle Conopea galeata , the Atlantic pearl oyster Pteria colymbus , and the bryozoans Alcyonidium hauffi and Membranipora arborecens (DeVictor, pers. obs.).

There are numerous lots of this species in the NMNH from the shallow SAB.

Atlantic distribution: New York, unknown depth; Chesapeake Bay to Florida, Gulf of Mexico, 2–59 m (one record from 220 m); Brazil, unknown depth ( Deichmann, 1936; Bayer, 1961; NMNH collections; SERTC collection)

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Cnidaria

Class

Anthozoa

Order

Alcyonacea

Family

Gorgoniidae

Genus

Leptogorgia

Loc

Leptogorgia virgulata ( Lamarck, 1815 )

Devictor, Susan T. & Morton, Steve L. 2010
2010
Loc

Gorgonia viminalis

Ellis, J. & Solander, D. 1786: 82
Pallas, P. S. 1766: 184
1766
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