Abstract
A new genus of scleriteless gorgonian, Huziogorgia gen. nov., is proposed based on the morphological and molecular study of a set of colonies identified as the recently described species Trichogorgia utinomii Cordeiro, 2019. Huziogorgia utinomii comb. nov. has planar colonies, lyrate to dichotomous, with long and flexible terminal branches. The polyps are no retractile, always extended, slightly trumpet-shaped, biserially placed, but not strictly. The axis is circular in cross section, showing concentric non-undulated layers. The materials were collected during three Antarctic cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland islands onboard the RV Polarstern (ANT XIX/3, ANT XXIII/8, and ANT XXIX/3). A molecular comparison based on mitochondrial genes (mtMutS and mtMutS+Igr1+COI) relates the new genus to the family Ifalukellidae Bayer, 1955 (Ifalukella Bayer, 1955, Trichogorgia (Hickson, 1904), Plumigorgia Nutting, 1910) and some genera of uncertain relationships, but currently related to the family Chrysogorgiidae Verrill, 1883 (Pleurogorgia Versluys, 1902 and Stephanogorgia Bayer & Muzik, 1976). Genetic distances between this species and the closest genera and families also suggest the separate placement of Huziogorgia gen. nov. in a new family, Huziogorgiidae fam. nov.
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