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Octocorals (Coelenterata: Anthozoa: Octocorallia) of Isla Del Coco, Costa Rica

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Octocorals (Coelenterata: Anthozoa: Octocorallia) of Isla Del Coco, Costa Rica Octocorals (Coelenterata: Anthozoa: Octocorallia) of Isla del Coco, Costa Rica Odalisca Breedy1, 2 & Jorge Cortés1 1. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica; [email protected] 2. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama. Received 04-II-2008. Corrected 29-IV-2008. Accepted 11-VI-2008. Abstract: The published literature on Isla del Coco (Cocos Island), Costa Rica reveals that until recent years the octocorals were among the least known marine invertebrates. Two of the three orders within the subclass Octocorallia, the Pennatulacea (sea pens) and Alcyonacea (soft corals, gorgonians and telestids) occur in Isla del Coco. From recent collections and research, the total octocorallian fauna presently accounts to three pennatu- laceans, seven gorgonians, a soft coral, and one telestid. A sea pen, a telestid, and three of the gorgonians have been collected recently, and two of them are probably new species. The genus Pacifigorgia includes one species: P. curta, presently considered as endemic. There are two species of the genus Leptogorgia, one which presents a large distributional range along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, L. alba, and another which is a new species only found in Isla del Coco and is yet to be described. Finally, an undescribed species related to the genus Rhodelinda was found attached to rodoliths. The other species cited in the literature, the gorgonian, Psammogorgia vari- abilis, and the pennatulacean, Ptilosarcus undulatus, need to be corroborated since we have not found them yet. Other species, including alcyoniians (soft corals), have been observed by submarine submersibles from 50 m down to 450 m. Some deep water species were collected during a Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution expedition in 1986 with their research submersible the Johnson Sea Link, and four of them have been identified to genera. Several are expected to represent species new to science. Twelve species of octocorals are recorded here. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (Suppl. 2): 71-77. Epub 2008 August 29. Key words: Isla del Coco, Cocos Island, Costa Rica, eastern Pacific, octocorals, gorgonians, soft corals, Octocorallia. Oceanic islands have fascinated explorers Isla del Coco has been the target of numer- and scientists since the earliest times because ous expeditions to explore the island’s species of their spectacular geological settings and the richness (Cortés 2008); nevertheless the octoc- extravagant and exotic life forms found there. orals were virtually unknown until recent years. Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, is one of the oceanic This paper summarises the present knowledge islands in the eastern tropical Pacific. The marine of the octocoral fauna at Isla del Coco, showing faunas of these islands have been the subject of both achievements and needs in this field to be scientific interest especially for the biogeograph- considered in future comprehensive biodiver- ic relevance (e.g. dispersal patterns, endemism) sity studies. and biodiversity. Islands are bounded ecosystems and serve as excellent laboratories for assessing Characteristics of octocorals: Octocorals, changes in community structure and biodiversity known as soft corals, sea fans and sea pens are (Sadler 1999), and evolutionary tendencies might sedentary, mostly colonial marine animals. be understood through comparisons to the main- Octocorals belong to the anthozoan subclass land faunas (Quammen 1996). Octocorallia; which is comprised of colonies of Rev. Biol. Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol. 56 (Suppl. 2): 71-77, August 2008 71 polyps that bear eight tentacles, almost always fans. They present very diverse growth forms: pinnate, and eight mesenteries in the gastro- incrusting colonies, upright fans, bushes with vascular cavity. The colonies present skeletal slender branches, and simple whips. Gorgonian elements of calcium carbonate, called sclerites, colonies have a central axial skeletons com- embedded in their tissue. Many taxa also have posed of a collagenous matrix, called gorgonin, proteinaceous and calcified axial skeletons. and calcifications within the collagen intersti- Octocorallia is composed of three orders: tial spaces (Jeyasuria & Lewis 1987). A layer Helioporacea (blue coral), Pennatulacea (sea of coenenchyme with sclerites and polyps sur- pens), and Alcyonacea (soft corals, gorgonians rounds it. and telestids) (Fabricius & Alderslade 2000, Species of octocorals are identified Daly et al. 2007). Pennatulaceans and alcyo- according to colony and sclerite morphology. naceans are found in Isla del Coco. Their diver- A combination of characteristics of the colony: sity and abundance is at present being studied. branching pattern, color and shape, and of the The pennatulaceans are colonies that show sclerites: sizes, colors, forms and abundance of bilateral symmetry and polyp dimorphism. the different types of sclerites in the samples, They are formed by a very large polyp called determine the species. Even though these char- the oozooid, on the wall of which the coenen- acteristics can be modified by the environment, chyme spreads with numerous small (second- they are sufficiently consistent to diagnose a ary) polyps; the large primary polyp may be species (Breedy & Guzman 2003, 2007). additionally supported by a horny or calcium Bayer (1981) estimated that there are carbonate axis. Part of the oozooid forms the 3,000 valid species of octocorals worldwide, peduncle that anchors the colony in sand or soft although new species and even genera continue substrates. The other part of the oozooid forms to be described at a rapid rate. In the Isla del the rachis, which bears other kinds of polyps: Coco three shallow water (<50 m) octocoral autozooids and siphonozooids. In some species species, and one from deep waters have been the emergent part looks like a feather (thus the reported in the literature and eight more are name sea pens) (Williams 1990, Fabricius & reported herein (Table 1). Alderslade 2000). The alcyonaceans include the soft corals Octocoral diversity: The first octocor- in the group Alcyoniina, stoloniferous octocor- al report for Isla del Coco came from the als in the group Stolonifera and the gorgonians collection gathered by dredging during the in the suborder Holaxonia. Alcyonians (soft “Albatross Expedition” in 1891 (Studer 1894), corals) form fleshy colonies characterized by the plexaurid (gorgonian octocoral) species having polyps aggregated or concentrated into Psammogorgia variabilis Studer, 1894, that polyparies. An internal medulla or axis is was described with two specimens from locali- absent and the polyps are embedded into a soft ties around the island at 95 and 183 m in depth. coenenchymal tissue, which may or may not Deichmann (1941) mentioned that Studer´s contain sclerites (Williams 1992). specimens in some way fitted Muricea galapa- Stolonifera include a group of octocorals gensis Deichmann, 1941, but she could not find that consist of individual tubular polyps that the specimens to corroborate the identification. arise separately from ribbon-like stolons. They Beebe (1926) mentioned a big purple sea fan present a series of transitional forms, from in his book, which does not match anything those where the polyps are not united to those seen recently in the island. As a matter of fact, where they are joined at their bases in a com- with the exception of L. alba, the octocoral mon coenenchyme (Williams 1993, Fabricius species presently recorded for Isla del Coco do & Alderslade 2000). not reach more than 5 cm in height. However, Gorgonians include sea rods, sea whips, it is interesting to notice that in some other sea candelabra, sea feather plumes, and sea time, less than a century ago, the octocoral 72 Rev. Biol. Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol. 56 (Suppl. 2): 71-77, August 2008 TABLE 1 Two other species of pennatulids in the Octocorals known from Isla del Coco: * = new records genus Stylatula were observed during the first (this publication), ** = deep-water species >50 m (2006) and second (2007) “Proteus” expedi- Subclass Octocorallia tions (Cortés 2008). One was collected from Order Pennatulacea 14 m deep, and identified as Stylatula cf. Family Pennatulidae elongata (Gabb, 1862), and the other was Ptilosarcus longate (Verrill, 1865) just photographed (Fig. 3). A new species of Family Virgulariidae gorgoniid in the genus Leptogorgia Milne Stylatula cf. longate (Gabb, 1862)* Stylatula sp.* Edwards & Haime, 1857 was collected during Order Alcyonacea the “Proteus” expeditions, which is currently Alcyoniina group under study. Finally, a species of a genus relat- Family Alcyoniidae ed to Rhodelinda (stoloniferous octocoral) was , Anthomastus sp. * ** collected by dredging (40-45 m in depth) and Suborder Holaxonia Family Gorgoniidae was found attached to rodoliths. Pacifigorgia curta Breedy & Guzman, 2003 Deep water collections from the 1986 Leptogorgia alba (Duchassaing & Michelotti, Expedition to the Galápagos Islands, Cocos 1864) Island, and Pearl Islands by the Harbor Branch Leptogorgia sp. (a new species)* Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) (Cortés Family Plexauridae Psammogorgia variabilis Studer, 1894** 2008) contain a number of octocorals collected Paramuricea sp. *, ** using the Johnson Sea Link research submers- Suborder Calcaxonia ible. This collection will probably yield new Family Isididae records and new species. We include in Table Isidella sp. *,
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