Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, page 1 of 7. # Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2014 doi:10.1017/S0025315414001957 New records of the genus Callogorgia (Anthozoa: Octocorallia) in the western Atlantic, including the description of a new species frederick m. bayer†, stephen d. cairns1, ralf t.s. cordeiro2 and carlos d. pe’rez3 1Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, Washington, DC 20560, USA, 2Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Po´s-Graduac¸a˜o em Biologia Animal, Recife PE 50670901, Brasil, 3Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro Acadeˆmico de Vito´ria, Rua Alto do Reservato´rio s/n, Bela Vista, Vito´ria de Santo Anta˜o, 55608680, Brasil, †Deceased (Formerly at Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, Washington, DC 20560, USA). Based on material collected during oceanographic campaigns in the western Atlantic from 1958 to 2011, two species of prim- noid octocorals belonging to the genus Callogorgia were identified: Callogorgia americana and Callogorgia arawak sp. nov. These species are described and illustrated herein and their geographic and bathymetric are given. This is the first record of the genus in the south-western Atlantic. Additionally, the elevation of C. americana americana and C. a. delta to species level is proposed, keeping Callogorgia gilberti, C. delta and C. americana as separate species. Keywords: Deep-water corals, octocorals, Primnoidae, south Atlantic, Cnidaria, continental slope Submitted 11 October 2014; accepted 19 November 2014 INTRODUCTION records represent the first of the genus in the south-western Atlantic Ocean. Octocorals in the genus Callogorgia Gray, 1858, as other primnoid corals (family Primnoidae), are important habitat- forming organisms in the deep sea (Etnoyer & Warrenchuk, MATERIALS AND METHODS 2007; Carreiro-Silva et al., 2011; Angeletti et al., 2014). Their tridimensional structure allows them to shelter other The examined specimens were sampled by several collection species (Roberts et al., 2006), creating habitat for other inver- methods during three scientific expeditions realized in the tebrates and fish (Cairns & Bayer, 2009; Quattrini et al., 2013). western Atlantic between the years 1958–2011, at depths Thus, species of Callogorgia are considered key species in ranging 137–461 m (Table 1). Specimens are preserved in these environments (Etnoyer & Morgan 2003; Angeletti ethanol (70%) and kept at the National Museum of Natural et al., 2014). History (NMNH) in Washington, DC (USA), and in the The genus Callogorgia counts on 24 described species, dis- Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ), in Brazil. tributed in the north Atlantic, Indo-Pacific (Cairns, 2010) and Terminologies follow Bayer (1982), Bayer et al. (1983) and Mediterranean (Vafidis et al., 1994), at depths ranging 37– Cairns & Cairns (2002). Digital images of sclerites were 2472 m. It is a well-established genus that in the past four obtained partly by the SEM Laboratory, Smithsonian decades has been the focus of two reviews: Bayer (1982) and Institution (see Bayer et al., 1983 for details), and partly by Cairns & Bayer (2002). Bayer (1982) studied mainly species the RTSC at Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, using an from the Indo-Pacific, and suggested that the genus could FEI–Aspex Express scanning electron microscope. be divided in two groups, based on the sculpture of scales in Preparation of sclerites for imaging follow a standard protocol the body wall. The study by Cairns & Bayer (2002) focused which is well described by Pante & Watling (2012). on western Atlantic species, with the description of two new species: C. linguimaris Cairns & Bayer, 2002 and C. americana Cairns & Bayer, 2002 (later synonymized with Callogorgia gil- Abbreviations berti Nutting, 1908 by Cairns (2010)). Museums: USNM: United States National Museum (now the Here we describe a new species of Callogorgia and we also National Museum of Natural History or NMHN); MNRJ: propose the revalidation of Callogorgia americana. These new Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Corresponding author: Cruises: U.S.F.W.S.: United States Fish and Wildlife R.T.S. Cordeiro Service; P.C.A.T.C.B.P.: Projeto de Caracterizac¸a˜o Ambiental Email: [email protected] do Talude Continental na Bacia Potiguar (Petrobras). 1 2 frederick m. bayer et al. Table 1. Sample stations of Callogorgia spp. in south-western Atlantic Ocean. U.S.F.W.S.: United States Fish and Wildlife Service; P.C.A.T.C.B.P.: Projeto de Caracterizac¸a˜o Ambiental do Talude Continental na Bacia Potiguar (Petrobras). Cruise/Vessel Station number Latitude Longitude Depth (m) Date Gerda G-898 21804′N86819′W 330–365 10/09/1967 Gerda G-898 20855′N86828′W 220–175 10/09/1967 U.S.F.W.S./Oregon 2289 07825′N54835′W 137–146 08/09/1958 U.S.F.W.S./Oregon 4305 07828′N55811′W 137 24/03/1963 P.C.A.T.C.B.P./Seward Johnson MT54-2 04837′S36846′W 137–215 22/05/2011 P.C.A.T.C.B.P./Seward Johnson MT61 04847′S36811′W 423–461 08/05/2011 Morphological: BW: body wall; OL: outer lateral; IL: inner their inner surface. Coenenchymal scales elongate and usually lateral; H:W: ratio between height and width. granular (Cairns, 2010). type species RESULTS Gorgonia verticillata Pallas, 1766, by monotypy. remarks systematics Five species of Callogorgia are currently recorded for the Order ALCYONACEA Lamouroux, 1812 western Atlantic, including the new species described herein Suborder CALCAXONIA Grasshoff, 1999 (Figure 1). Previously to this study, Callogorgia was only Family PRIMNOIDAE Milne Edwards, 1857 known in the north-west Atlantic, Indo-Pacific and Genus Callogorgia Gray, 1858 Mediterranean Sea. This study extends the latitudinal range of the genus to south Atlantic waters. diagnosis Colonies uniplanar, branchlets usually alternate pinnate in Callogorgia arawak sp. nov. arrangement, but may also be opposite pinnate and dichotomous. (Figures 2A, B, D, 3A–D & 4) Polyps arranged in whorls, the polyps facing upward. Polyps pro- Callogorgia verticillata: Bayer, 1961: 297 (in part: USNM tected by eight longitudinal rows of scales, the rows decreasing in 51257) number of scales in the abaxial to adaxial direction, such that adaxial side may be largely naked. Outer surface of body wall type material scales smooth, granular, or ornately ridged, the ridges sometimes Holotype: USNM 51257, 07825′N54835′W, Surinam, continuing to inner proximal side of scale. Marginal scales fixed, 137–146 m (main stem 11 cm tall with 3 major lateral not folding over operculars, the latter bearing keels or ridges on branches and part of holdfast) (Figure 2A). Fig. 1. Distribution map of Callogorgia spp. in Western Atlantic, based on Cairns & Bayer (2002), Quattrini et al. (2013) and present study. Filled circles: C. americana; open circles: C. gracilis; triangle: C. linguimaris; filled square: C. delta; open square: C. arawak sp. nov. callogorgia in western atlantic 3 Fig. 2. Colonies of Callogorgia spp. from Western Atlantic. (A) C. arawak sp. nov. (USNM 51257, holotype); (B) C. arawak sp. nov. (MNRJ 8563, paratype); (C) C. americana (MNRJ 8564); (D) C. arawak (USNM 52945, paratype). Scale bar: 10 mm. Paratypes: USNM 52945, 21804′N86819′W, Yucata´n, 330– 365 m (a main trunk lacking holdfast, with two major branches and numerous pinnate branchlets) (Figure 2D); ′ ′ USNM 52939, 20855 N86828 W, Yucata´n, 220–175 m (one Fig. 3. Whorls and polyps of: (A–B): Callogorgia arawak sp. nov. (USNM pinnate branch 6 cm long with 3 branchlets on each side); 51257, holotype); (C–D): C. arawak sp. nov. (MNRJ 8563, paratype); E, F: USNM 52936, 07828′N55811′W, Surinam, 137 m; MNRJ C. americana (MNRJ 8564). Scale bars: A–C, E–F, 1 mm; D, 0.5 mm. 8563, 04845′S36811′W, Potiguar Basin (Rio Grande do Norte State), 423–461 m (one branch with a terminal bifurca- tion) (Figure 2B). are about 1 mm tall or slightly less, arranged in whorls of 3–5, of which 7–9 occur in 1 cm of axial length. The abaxial scale rows have 8–11 scales each, sculptured with moderately prominent diagnosis radial wrinkles that are strongest and ridgelike where the scale Alternately pinnate colonies with sometimes one but com- is overlapped by the one below, interlocking with the radial monly two scales in outer-lateral row on one or both sides, ridges of its overlapping distal margin (Figure 3A–D). The 8–11 scales in abaxial rows, inner laterals always absent; outer-lateral rows always are present and commonly repre- body scales externally sculptured by radial wrinkles strongest sented by two scales, but occasionally 0–2 are missing on one along proximal edge and not anastomosing. or both sides of a polyp (Figure 3A–D); they are not so strongly Description of the holotype: Colony of the general aspect of sculptured as the abaxials and the external ridges are confined to Callogorgia gracilis Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857, alternately that part of the scale that is covered by the edge of the adjacent pinnate, the major axis bending only slightly away from the abaxials. A small, discoidal marginal (Adax-1) is present in both origin of branchlets, hence nearly or quite straight; the branch- adaxial rows (Figure 3A–C). The operculars are smaller than lets are mostly 40–50 mm long when fully developed, 6–12 mm those of other western Atlantic species of Callogorgia,atmost apart on each side of the stem (11 cm tall) (Figure 2A, B). Polyps about 0.4 mm tall, apically pointed but not projecting as a 4 frederick m. bayer et al. Fig. 4. Sclerites of Callogorgia arawak sp. nov. (USNM 51257, holotype). (A–C, E): opercular scales; (D): body wall scalles; (F): coenenchymal scales. Scale bars: 0.1 mm. distinct stout tooth (Figure 4A–C), the inner surface of the agree in most salient points but have somewhat larger opercu- abaxials and laterals with a rather low keel having two or lar scales, and somewhat more strongly sculptured abaxial three finely serrate ridges, the outer surface with an indistinct scales.