Resurrection of the sea pen genus &lt;em&gt;Ptilella&lt;/em&gt; Gray, 1870 and description of &lt;em&gt;Ptilella grayi&lt;/em&gt; n. sp. from the NE Atlantic (Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)

Francisco J García-Cárdenas,Jim Drewery,Pablo J López-González

doi:10.3989/scimar.04845.26a

Resurrection of the sea pen genus <em>Ptilella</em> Gray, 1870 and description of <em>Ptilella grayi</em> n. sp. from the NE Atlantic (Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)

Francisco J García-Cárdenas, Jim Drewery + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.04845.26a

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Journal: Scientia Marina	Publication Date: Sep 18, 2019
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Universidad de Sevilla, Marine Scotland

Abstract

The order Pennatulacea covers a group of specialized and morphologically distinct octocorals found in all oceans from intertidal areas to more than 6000 m in depth. Sea pens constitute an important structural component in marine soft-bottom communities by increasing the complexity of these environments. Despite being both morphologically distinctive and ecologically important, the taxonomy and systematics of sea pens is still poorly understood. Recent molecular studies have shown the existence of convergent morphological features, making the current familial distribution of genera unstable. The genus Pennatula Linnaeus, 1758 was one of the first described octocoral genera. It is the type genus of its family, Pennatulidae. Colonies of this genus have a characteristic morphology. Recent sampling efforts in the northeastern Atlantic have provided a number of colonies initially attributable to the genus Pennatula. Both morphological and molecular (mtMutS, Cox1 and 28S genes) study of this material supports the polyphyletic nature of this genus and the need to resurrect the genus Ptilella Gray, 1870 to accommodate these and other species. A new species, Ptilella grayi n. sp., is described and illustrated. The species Pennatula bayeri is proposed to be a junior synonym of Pennatula bellissima (here also considered in the genus Ptilella).

Highlights

The anthozoan fauna from deep-sea zones is still poorly known, despite recent international efforts having improved our general knowledge of the diversity and ecology of deep-sea benthic communities
Summary: The order Pennatulacea covers a group of specialized and morphologically distinct octocorals found in all oceans from intertidal areas to more than 6000 m in depth
Recent sampling efforts in the northeastern Atlantic have provided a number of colonies initially attributable to the genus Pennatula

Summary

Introduction

The anthozoan fauna from deep-sea zones is still poorly known, despite recent international efforts having improved our general knowledge of the diversity and ecology of deep-sea benthic communities. Sea pens constitute an important structural component in marine soft-bottoms communities, increasing the complexity of these environments in a role similar to that of other coral groups such as gorgonians and scleractinians, which are typically found on a more rocky substrata (Sale 1977, Done 1999). The ecological importance of the recently discovered rockpens (Williams and Alderslade 2011) is yet to be evaluated, they could potentially contribute to scleractinians and gorgonians by providing yet another environmental niche in rocky seabeds. The ecological importance of sea pen beds is internationally recognized, with these being included in red lists of marine environments threatened by anthropogenic activities (see OSPAR Commission 2010)

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