Antipathes Pallas, 1766

Wagner, Daniel & Shuler, Andrew, 2017, The black coral fauna (Cnidaria: Antipatharia) of Bermuda with new records, Zootaxa 4344 (2), pp. 367-379 : 368

Genus Antipathes Pallas, 1766

Antipathes is the oldest black coral genus, and is distinguished by colonies that are branched, with branching patterns varying from fan-shaped to bushy ( Opresko & Sanchez, 2005; Opresko, 1972). Like the family Antipathidae , the genus Antipathes is considered a taxonomic dumping ground that includes highly heterogeneous forms ( Opresko & Baron-Szabo, 2001). Even though many species have been removed from Antipathes and placed into new genera ( Opresko, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001; Opresko & Cairns, 1994), the genus still groups numerous species that are morphologically and phylogenetically heterogeneous, and is therefore in need of further revisions ( Brugler et al., 2013; Bo, 2008; France et al., 2007). Two species have previously been reported from Bermuda ( A. atlantica and A. furcata ; Locke et al. 2013), both of which were recorded as part of this survey ( Table 1).