Eugorgia bradleyi Verrill, 1868

Breedy, Odalisca, Guzman, Hector M. & Vargas, Sergio, 2009, A revision of the genus Eugorgia Verrill, 1868 (Coelenterata: Octocorallia: Gorgoniidae), Zootaxa 2151, pp. 1-46 : 17

Eugorgia bradleyi Verrill, 1868

Figure 7 , Plate 3A–C

Eugorgia bradleyi Verrill, 1868: 411 –412; Studer 1883: 7; Bielschowsky 1918: 44; 1929: 176–177; Kükenthal 1924: 344 –345; Harden 1979: 123.

Material examined. Syntype series: MCZ 36033, 725, dry, Pearl Islands, Panama, no further data, F.H. Bradley, 1866–1867; MCZ 7005, 7006A–B, dry, Nicoya Gulf, Costa Rica, J.A. McNeil, no further data; MCZ 1575; YPM 568, 568A–C, YPM 787A–B, dry, Panama, F.H. Bradley, 1866, no further data; YPM 5147-5150, 5150A–B, dry, Nicoya Gulf, J.A. McNeil, no further data; YPM 1788, dry, Pearl Islands, no depth given, F.H. Bradley, 1866–1867.

Other material: COSTA RICA: USNM 44206, dry, Gulf of Nicoya, no depth given, M. Valerio, 20 February 1931.

Description. Colonies examined range from 7–20 cm in height and 2–16 cm in width. They arise from spreading holdfasts producing short stems, up to 4 cm in length, or subdivide very close to the base. Branches are slightly compressed, around 3 mm in diameter at the base and tapered. Thick branches are marked with longitudinal grooves. Branching is irregularly dichotomous, producing branchlets 1–2 mm in diameter, rounded in cross section, that rebranch up to 4 times in a more irregular manner. Unbranched final twigs reach up to 5 cm in length with pointed tips. The polyps are retracted within slightly raised polyp-mounds with oval slit-like apertures (Plate 3B). Polyp-mounds are distributed in 2–4 longitudinal rows, on the branches and close together. They are scarce on the stem, and absent on the holdfast (Plate 3A). Colour of the colonies varies from purplish red to orange or light brown. Sclerites of the coenenchyme are orange, yellow, and some bicoloured (Plate 3C). They are mostly double discs reaching up to 0.05 mm in length, and 0.045 mm in width ( Fig. 7 ), some are larger reaching up to 0.08 mm in length, and 0.06 mm in width; they have warty tubercles with a minimal fusion in discs. Spindles are long, reaching up to 0.15 mm in length, and 0.05 mm in width, with 4–9 whorls of warty tubercles. Spindles are straight or bent, some with a marked waist (Plate 3C, Fig. 7 ). No anthocodial sclerites were found in the samples.

The illustrated specimen is 17 cm in height, and 19 cm in width (MCZ 7006B1), and of a bright orange colour (Plate 3A).

Distribution. Gulf of Nicoya, Pearl Islands, type localities ( Table 4).

Remarks. In the branching pattern and the colour, this species is very similar to species in the Leptogorgia alba group, especially resembling Leptogorgia ignita Breedy & Guzman, 2008 , however, the sclerites are very different. Despite our extensive exploration in Costa Rica and Panama, we have not yet found specimens of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Eugorgia bradleyi (MCZ 7006 B 1), coenenchymal sclerites.