Anthothelidae
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Ordo: Alcyonacea
Familia: Anthothelidae
Name
Broch, 1916 – Wikispecies link – Pensoft Profile
Diagnosis
Branches of colonies slender. Polyps monomorphic, with prominent calyces, anthocodiae usually exsert. Axis not jointed, without a cross-chambered central core. Medulla surrounded by longitudinal boundary canals (of roughly equal size) separating it from cortex; medulla only rarely perforated by gastrodermal solenia in smaller branches and even then, not as extensively as in lower parts of colony; in larger branches, medulla perforated by solenia. Generally, medulla with separable sclerites; medullar sclerites stout spindles (not needle-like), thorny, ornamented with warts, spines or branching processes, that may link sclerites together. Sclerites of coenenchyme longer fusiform spindles, sometimes clavate or bent, occasionally with radiate bodies and capstans (rarely).
Discussion
Within the Subclass Octocorallia, taxonomic placement of this family reflects the changeable history the Order Alcyonacea has experienced since its inception. Currently, Alcyonacea is one of three orders in the subclass (Williams and Cairns 2014[1]). The current Order Alcyonacea was, however, originally divided into four orders (Alcyonacea, Gorgonacea, Stolonifera, and Telestacea). Current coral taxonomy now divides Order Alcyonacea into five nominal groups: Calcaxonia, Holaxonia, Scleraxonia, Alcyoniina and Stolonifera (Bayer 1981c[2], Fabricius and Alderslade 2001[3]). While the Family Anthothelidae is today recognized as valid in the Order Alcyonacea [Scleraxonia], a number of species in the family were originally placed in the older Order Stolonifera, often within the Family Clavulariidae. A few researchers may still group some of the families of soft corals in an Order Stolonifera, but since then, a number of genera and several species have been moved out of Stolonifera. Fabricius and Alderslade (2001)[3] noted that the “decision whether to categorize a particular genus as a stoloniferan becomes so subjective that the name plainly has limited classificatory value . . . . .” Use of the Order Stolonifera, and placement of the Family Anthothelidae in it, or the nominal group, Scleraxonia (as opposed to Stolonifera), has had a continued, tumultuous history (Hickson 1915[4], Molander 1918[5], Kükenthal 1919[6], 1924[7], Madsen 1944[8], Bayer 1961[9], Bayer 1981a[10], b[11], c[2], Hochberg 1979[12]). Currently, the classification of species in the family is determined by the presence of a membranous colony form, presence, or absence of coenenchyme layers surrounding an axis, and the way in which polyps arise from the membranous base.
Any membranous octocoral colony currently held in the SBMNH collection (few in number, small in size, deteriorated due to early formalin storage) could be a member of either the genus Clavularia or the genus Anthothela (the latter, a genus within the Order Alcyonacea, Scleraxonia). A detailed examination of the few colonies held in the SBMNH collection, in comparison with material housed elsewhere is needed; that necessitates a separate project, to be undertaken at some future date. Most of the material in the SBMNH collection with membranous colony form is present in a very fragile state; a more detailed description for each will not be easy, in some instances, not possible at all. It is likely that even with a more thorough examination of the material held at SBMNH, the results will necessarily be inconclusive. A complete revision of the genus Anthothela was recently completed by Moore et al. (2017)[13], utilized here.
Taxon Treatment
- Horvath, E; 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, and Calcaxonia – Part I: Introduction, species of Scleraxonia and Holaxonia (Family Acanthogorgiidae) ZooKeys, 860: 1-66. doi
Other References
- ↑ Williams G, Cairns S (2001–2017) Systematic list of valid octocoral genera. http//researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/izg/OCTOCLASS.htm
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bayer F (1981c) Key to the genera of Octocorallia exclusive of Pennatulacea (Coelenterata: Anthozoa) with diagnoses of new taxa.Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington94(3): 902–947. https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/978
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fabricius K, Alderslade P (2001) Soft Corals and Sea Fans: A Comprehensive Guide to the tropical shallow-water genera of the Central-West Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.Australian Institute of Marine Science, Queensland, Australia, 264 pp.
- ↑ Hickson S (1915) Some Alcyonaria and a Stylaster from the west coast of North America.Proceedings of the Zoological Society London37: 541–557. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1915.00541.x
- ↑ Molander A (1918) Der Kelch als systematischer Charakter bei den Alcyonaceen.Arkiv for Zoologi11(22): 1–12.
- ↑ Kükenthal W (1919) Gorgonaria. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der deutsche Tiefsee Expeditionen ’Valdivia‘ 1898–99, 13(2): 1–946. [pls 30–89]
- ↑ Kükenthal W (1924) Gorgonaria. Das Tierreich, Vol. 47.Walter de Gruyter & Company, Berlin, 478 pp.
- ↑ Madsen F (1944) Octocorallia.Danish Ingolf-Expedition5(13): 1–65. [53 figs, 1 pl]
- ↑ Bayer F (1961) The shallow-water Octocorallia of the West Indian Region: (A manual for marine biologists). In: Hummelinck W (Ed.) Studies on the Fauna of Curacao and other Caribbean Islands12(55): 1–373. [Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague]
- ↑ Bayer F (1981a) Status of Knowledge of Octocorals of World Seas. Seminários de Biologia Marinha, São Paulo, 9–15 Fevereiro de 1980.Academia Brasileira de Cieñcia, Rio de Janeiro, 102 pp. https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/1237
- ↑ Bayer F (1981b) On some genera of stoloniferous Octocorals (Coelenterata: Anthozoa), with descriptions of new taxa.Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington94(3): 878–901. https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/971
- ↑ Hochberg F (1979) Southern California Stoloniferans, Telestaceans, Alcyonaceans.Proceedings of the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) Taxonomic Standardization Program7(1): 17–29.
- ↑ Moore K, Alderslade P, Miller K (2017) A taxonomic revision of Anthothela (Octocorallia: Scleraxonia: Anthothelidae) and related genera, with the addition of new taxa, using morphological and molecular data.Zootaxa4304(1): 1. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4304.1.1
