Ushanaia, Kessel & Alderslade & Bilewitch & Schnabel & Norman & Potts & Gardner, 2022

Kessel, Gustav M., Alderslade, Philip, Bilewitch, Jaret P., Schnabel, Kareen E., Norman, Jerry, Potts, Romana Tekaharoa & Gardner, Jonathan P. A., 2022, Dead man’s fingers point to new taxa: two new genera of New Zealand soft corals (Anthozoa, Octocorallia) and a revision of Alcyonium aurantiacum Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, European Journal of Taxonomy 837, pp. 1-85 : 50-51

Ushanaia gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B76BD43C-D5C4-4B63-B304-14294AF62E37

Type species

Ushanaia fervens gen. et sp. nov., here designated.

Diagnosis

Azooxanthellate soft corals with a predominantly encrusting growth form, although fleshy, lobe-like processes can also occur. Polyps monomorphic, fully retractile. True calyces absent, although retracted polyps may form low, rounded, mound-like protuberances of varying prominence depending on state of colony expansion. Anthocodial sclerites arranged as collaret and points, composed of tuberculate to warty spindles; points may contain thorny clubs distally. Tentacles contain irregular, warty, scale-like forms. Polyp neck contains tuberculate to warty rod- and spindle-like forms. Polyp mounds contain warty rod- and spindle-like forms, radiates and occasional club-like forms. Surface and interior similar in sclerite composition, containing mostly warty rod- and spindle-like forms, eight-radiate capstans and their derivatives; clubs can also be present in the surface. Sclerites pale to dark orange or colourless.

Etymology

The genus is named after the first author’s partner.

Comparisons

As is the case for Kotatea gen. nov. (see comparisons for that genus), compared to A. digitatum and Alcyonium sensu stricto, Ushanaia gen. nov. has far stronger collaret and points and a greater variety of surface sclerites, including clubs and well-developed radiates (see Hickson 1895; Verseveldt 1973; Stokvis & van Ofwegen 2006). Compared to A. haddoni Wright & Studer, 1889 and other South American nominal Alcyonium species, Ushanaia possesses a much more prominent radiate component among its surface and interior sclerites and does not have calyces (see Verseveldt & van Ofwegen 1992; Casas et al. 1997; van Ofwegen et al. 2007).

Unlike Kotatea gen. nov., Ushanaia gen. nov. forms encrusting colonies. Additionally, Ushanaia has collaret spindles that tend to be larger than those found in Kotatea and lacks the clear presence of welldeveloped clubs in the polyp mounds and the marked difference between surface and interior sclerites that are observed in Kotatea .

The genus Incrustatus van Ofwegen, Häussermann & Försterra, 2006 ( Clavulariidae Hickson, 1894 ) is found in a similar habitat in southern South American fjords and superficially resembles Ushanaia gen. nov. in its encrusting habit, but differs markedly in having no or very few polyp sclerites ( van Ofwegen et al. 2006; McFadden & Van Ofwegen 2013b), whereas Ushanaia possesses strong collaret and points.