A New genus of Soft Coral of the Family Alcyoniidae (Cnidaria, Octocorallia) with Re-Description of a New Combination and Description of a New Species

A new genus, Aldersladum (family Alcyoniidae), is established to accommodate a previously described species, Effl atounaria sodwanae Benayahu, 1993 (family Xeniidae) from Sodwana Bay, South Africa that was wrongly assigned to the latter genus. Th is species is redescribed and a second new species, A. jengi from Penghu Is., Taiwan, is described. Th e diagnostic features of the new genus include the presence of only figure-eight shaped platelets in all parts of the colony, thus differentiating it from all known genera of the Alcyoniidae. Based on examination of additional material from other localities, the zoogeographical distribution of the genus is confirmed to include the coral reefs of South Africa, Kenya, Gulf of Oman, Taiwan and Japan. Phylogenetic analyses of two mitochondrial genes strongly support its placement in the family Alcyoniidae

Molecular Phylogenetic Evidence Supports a New Family of Octocorals and a New Genus of Alcyoniidae (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea)

Molecular phylogenetic evidence indicates that the octocoral family Alcyoniidae is highly polyphyletic, with genera distributed across Octocorallia in more than 10 separate clades. Most alcyoniid taxa belong to the large and poorly resolved Holaxonia–Alcyoniina clade of octocorals, but members of at least four genera of Alcyoniidae fall outside of that group. As a first step towards revision of the family, we describe a new genus, Parasphaerasclera gen. n., and family, Parasphaerascleridae fam. n., of Alcyonacea to accommodate species of Eleutherobia Pütter, 1900 and Alcyonium Linnaeus, 1758 that have digitiform to digitate or lobate growth forms, completely lack sclerites in the polyps, and have radiates or spheroidal sclerites in the colony surface and interior. Parasphaerascleridae fam. n. constitutes a well-supported clade that is phylogenetically distinct from all other octocoral taxa. We also describe a new genus of Alcyoniidae, Sphaerasclera gen. n., for a species of Eleutherobia with a unique capitate growth form. Sphaerasclera gen. n. is a member of the Anthomastus–Corallium clade of octocorals, but is morphologically and genetically distinct from Anthomastus Verrill, 1878 and Paraminabea Williams & Alderslade, 1999, two similar but dimorphic genera of Alcyoniidae that are its sister taxa. In addition, we have re-assigned two species of Eleutherobia that have clavate to capitate growth forms, polyp sclerites arranged to form a collaret and points, and spindles in the colony interior to Alcyonium, a move that is supported by both morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidenc

A New Species of Ovabunda (Octocorallia, Xeniidae) From the Andaman Sea, Thailand with Notes on the Biogeography of This Genus

A survey of xeniid octocorals was carried out in the waters off Southwestern Thailand in September, 2007. Microscopic investigation of the colonies revealed that three specimens belonged to the genus Ovabunda. Gross morphological examination is presented here accompanied by scanning electron micrographs of the sclerites. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed identical genotypes at mtMutS, COI, and 28S rDNA for all three specimens and supports their generic assignment. Colony size and shape, sclerite size, and pinnule arrangement differ from nominal species of Ovabunda and thus a new species, O. andamanensis is introduced here. This work also presents a new eastern geographical record for the genus Ovabunda

Sinularia Leptoclados (Ehrenberg, 1834) (Cnidaria: Octocorallia) Re-Examined

Sinularia leptoclados (Ehrenberg, 1834) is re-described. Sinularia leptoclados var. gonatodes Kolonko, 1926 is synonymized with S. maxima Verseveldt, 1977. Two new species of Sinularia with digitiform lobules, leptoclados-type surface clubs and unbranched interior spindles, are described. An updated maximum likelihood tree of Sinularia species with leptoclados-type clubs (clade 5C) based on two mitochondrial genes (mtMutS, COI) and a nuclear gene (28S rDNA) is presented

Revisionary systematics of Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) guided by phylogenomics

The anthozoan sub-class Octocorallia includes over 3500 nominal species of soft corals and gorgonian sea fans, many of which serve as critical foundation species in benthic marine ecosystems in shallow waters to the deep sea. Despite their familiarity and ecological impor-tance, the diversity and taxonomy of octocorals remain poorly known. All of the orders, subordinal groups, and a majority of families have been recognized to be poly- or paraphyletic, but poor resolution of the deeper nodes in mitochondrial or single-locus nuclear gene trees have hindered formal revision of the higher-level taxonomy of the group. We used sequence data from target-capture of 739 ultraconserved and exon loci to reconstruct a fully resolved phylogeny for 185 octocoral taxa represent-ing 55 of 63 currently recognized families. We use this phylogeny, sup-plemented with a gene tree for mitochondrial mtMutS for an additional 107 taxa, to guide a revision of the families and orders of Octocorallia. We (1) elevate the anthozoan sub-classes Octocorallia and Hexacorallia to the rank of Class; (2) replace the three currently recognized orders of Octocorallia (Alcyonacea, Pennatulacea, Helioporacea) with two new orders reflecting reciprocally monophyletic major clades; and (3) revise all families with the exception of the 15 recognized families of sea pens, which we accommodate within a new superfamily. The revised classifi-cation of Octocorallia thus comprises 79 families, including 18 that are newly described and three that have been reinstated or elevated in rank. In addition, two new genera are described and another three reinstated. We leave the family assignment of 46 of 413 genera as incertae sedis until further molecular or morphological data can be obtained to confirm their phylogenetic affinities

A Revision of the Octocoral Genus Ovabunda Alderslade, 2001 (Anthozoa, Octocorallia, Xeniidae)

The family Xeniidae (Octocorallia) constitutes an abundant benthic component on many Indo-West Pacific coral reefs and is ecologically important in the Red Sea. The genus Ovabunda Alderslade, 2001 was recently established to accommodate previous Xenia species with sclerites comprised of a mass of minute corpuscle-shaped microscleres. The aim of the present study was to examine type material of Xenia species in order to verify their generic affiliation. We present here a comprehensive account of the genus Ovabunda, using scanning electron microscopy to depict sclerite microstructure. We assign three Xenia species to the genus: O. ainex comb. n., O. gohari comb. n., and O. crenata comb. n.; and synonymize several other species of Ovabunda. We provide a key to Ovabunda species and conclude that they are mainly confined to the Red Sea, with some occurrence in the West Indian Ocean

An Integration of Chemistry, Biology, and Physics: The Interdisciplinary Laboratory

As a new venture to integrate research and education, a pilot section of a first-year laboratory sequence known as the Interdisciplinary Laboratory (ID Lab) was introduced on the Harvey Mudd campus during the 1999–2000 academic year and continues to be offered. The ID Lab attempts to bridge laboratory experiences from biology, chemistry, and physics for the first-year student. Taught by a team of faculty from these disciplines, the course seeks both to illustrate commonality of investigative methods and laboratory techniques in these sciences and to introduce discipline-specific principles. Experiments with a chemistry component include the Molecular Weight of Macromolecules, the Synthesis and Characterization of Liquid Crystals, A Structure–Activity Investigation of Photosynthetic Electron Transport, a Genetic Map of a Bacterial Plasmid, and The Carbonate Content of Biological Hard Tissue. This article provides some details of the experiments conducted, information on the philosophy and mechanics of the course, and a discussion of student reaction to this innovative and novel course

Aggregations of a Sessile Ctenophore, Coeloplana sp., on Indo-West Pacific Gorgonians

We document the benthic ctenophores Coeloplana sp. and Vallicula multiformis from Oman, extending their geographic range. A new Coeloplana species was found forming aggregations on gorgonians of two octocoral host genera, Melithaea and Euplexaura, representing associations previously unknown to occur in the Indo-West Pacific region. Our findings also illustrate the concurrent presence of the ectocommensal ophiuroid Ophiothela mirabilis, which adversely affects other Coeloplana species in the tropical West Atlantic, where it is considered invasive. This exploration contributes to our understanding of the biogeography, species distribution, and ectosymbiotic associations of these genera, setting the stage for a comprehensive species description and in-depth analysis of host relationships in future studies

New Records of the Cryptogenic Soft Coral Genus Stragulum (Tubiporidae) from the Eastern Caribbean and the Persian Gulf

The monotypic soft coral genus Stragulum van Ofwegen and Haddad, 2011 (Octocorallia: Malacalcyonacea: Tubiporidae) was originally described from Brazil, southwest Atlantic Ocean. Here, we report the first records of the genus from the eastern Caribbean and the Persian Gulf in the northwest Indian Ocean. We compare the morphological features of specimens, together with molecular data from three commonly used barcoding markers (COI, mtMutS, 28S rDNA) and 308 ultraconserved elements (UCE) and exon loci sequenced using a target-enrichment approach. The molecular and morphological data together suggest that specimens from all three localities are the same species, i.e., Stragulum bicolor van Ofwegen and Haddad, 2011. It is still not possible to establish the native range of the species or determine whether it may be an introduced species due to the limited number of specimens included in this study. However, the lack of historical records, its fouling abilities on artificial substrates, and a growing number of observations support the invasive nature of the species in Brazilian and Caribbean waters and therefore suggest that it may have been introduced into the Atlantic from elsewhere. Interestingly, the species has not shown any invasive behaviour in the Persian Gulf, where it has been found only on natural, rocky substrates. The aim of the present report is to create awareness of this taxon with the hope that this will lead to new records from other localities and help to establish its native range

Non-native coral species dominate the fouling community on a semi-submersible platform in the southern Caribbean

A coral community was examined on a semi-submersible platform that was moored at the leeward side of Curaçao, in the southern Caribbean, from August 2016 until August 2017. This community included several non-native or cryptogenic species. Among them were two scleractinian corals (Tubastraea coccinea and T. tagusensis) and two octocorals (Chromonephthea sp. and an unidentified Nephtheidae sp.). This is the first reported presence of T. tagusensis in the southern Caribbean, and the genus Chromonephthea in the Caribbean region. An ascidian, Perophora cf. regina, is also reported from the southern Caribbean for the first time, as well as a coral-associated vermetid gastropod, Petaloconchus sp., first recorded in the Caribbean in 2014. Lack of biofouling management could potentially harm indigenous marine fauna through the introduction of non-native species. Therefore monitoring communities associated with semi-submersible platforms is essential to track the presence and dispersal of non-native, potentially invasive species