Leptogorgia flexilis (Verrill, 1868)

Horvath, Elizabeth Anne, 2019, A review of gorgonian coral species (Cnidaria, Octocorallia, Alcyonacea) held in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History research collection: focus on species from Scleraxonia, Holaxonia, Calcaxonia - Part II: Species of Holaxonia, families Gorgoniidae and Plexauridae, ZooKeys 860, pp. 67-182 : 67

Leptogorgia flexilis (Verrill, 1868) Figures 23A, B, 24 A–C

Gorgonia (Eugorgia) flexilis Verrill, 1868c: 415.

Litigorgia flexilis Verrill, 1868a; 1868b: 400-401.

Leptogorgia flexilis Verrill, 1868b: 400-401; pl V; fig. 11; 1869b: 421. Nutting 1910d: 5. Bielschowsky 1918: 29. Kükenthal 1919: 771; 1924: 326. Hickson 1928: 414-416. Bielschowsky 1929: 96. Stiasny 1943: 82. Breedy and Guzmán 2007: 40-44.

Type locality.

Archipelago Las Perlas, Panama, 11-15 m.

Type specimens.

Syntypes Breedy and Guzmán 2007: YPM 1553a, b [dry]; MCZ 4123 (722) [dry].

Material examined.

5 lots (see Appendix 1: List of material examined). Designated types not examined.

Description.

An examination of SBMNH material revealed that colony form (Figure 23A), branch and polyp appearance (Figure 23B) and sclerites (shown here, Figure 24), are comparable with images shown in Breedy and Guzmán (2007: 40-44).

Etymology.

The root flexi- is Latin for pliant, bendable, referring to the apparently flexible, droopy, slender branchlets of the live colony. However, Verrill does not give any rationale for the species name.

Distribution.

Panama, north into lower third of California Bight (off Santa Catalina Island and adjacent California mainland sites).

Remarks.

Initially, the drooping branches were considered to be more an artifact of preservation and the containers initially used when collected (branches bent downward so specimen would fit in the jar). However, descriptions by others ( Breedy and Guzmán 2007), indicated that this is a normal branch configuration. Initial preservation in harsh chemicals caused drooping, pliant branchlets to become anything but; now quite brittle and easily broken. SBMNH 422942 is a nice, large colony but badly fragmented due to those early preservation efforts. As well, much of its color has leached out, with any particular branch colored from almost white to tan to pinkish red.

Leptogorgia flexilis is an accepted species in the WoRMS Data Base ( Cordeiro et al. 2018c).