Abstract
Examination of recent benthic material collected during several cruises in the Gulf of Cadiz (NE Atlantic) and the Strait of Sicily (Mediterranean) has allowed the taxonomic reassessment of some previously identified specimens belonging to the monogeneric gorgonian family Dendrobrachiidae Brook, 1889. Dendrobrachia fallax Brook, 1889 is the type species of the single genus in this family, and was originally described from Ascension Island (South Atlantic). Subsequently, other authors reported the presence of this species in Cape Verde Islands (north-eastern Atlantic) and some Mediterranean localities (Alboran Sea and the Strait of Sicily). The study of the specimen from the Prince of Monaco collections in Cape Verde Islands, and recently collected material from the Gulf of Cadiz (north-eastern Atlantic) and in the south of Malta (Mediterranean), materials previously considered as D. fallax, allow us to recognize two undescribed species in this genus. All previous records of D. fallax from the north-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean should be considered incorrect. Opresko and Bayer (1991) added two additional species of Dendrobrachia. Two new species are described here and compared with their congeners.
Highlights
The family Dendrobrachiidae Brook, 1889 is a striking example of difficult taxonomic placement in gorgonians
A general review of the information published on the single genus Dendrobrachia Brook 1889, initially aligned among the Antipatharia due to the structure of the axis, has already been summarized and discussed by Opresko and Bayer (1991)
Thomson (1910) reported a new finding of Dendrobrachia fallax off Cape Verde Islands, and that specific assignment was subsequently maintained by other authors (Opresko and Bayer, 1991; Zibrowius and Taviani, 2005)
Summary
The family Dendrobrachiidae Brook, 1889 is a striking example of difficult taxonomic placement in gorgonians. A general review of the information published on the single genus Dendrobrachia Brook 1889, initially aligned among the Antipatharia due to the structure of the axis, has already been summarized and discussed by Opresko and Bayer (1991). The authors described two additional species in this. The type species of the genus Dendrobrachia, D. fallax Brook 1889, was described from two colonies collected by the H.M.S. Challenger off Ascension Island (South Atlantic) (see Brook, 1889: 159). Thomson (1910) reported a new finding of Dendrobrachia fallax off Cape Verde Islands, and that specific assignment was subsequently maintained by other authors (Opresko and Bayer, 1991; Zibrowius and Taviani, 2005) Challenger off Ascension Island (South Atlantic) (see Brook, 1889: 159). Thomson (1910) reported a new finding of Dendrobrachia fallax off Cape Verde Islands, and that specific assignment was subsequently maintained by other authors (Opresko and Bayer, 1991; Zibrowius and Taviani, 2005)
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