Frontiers in Marine Science
Info
The holotype of this pretty deep-water gorgonian (MBM286391) was collected from rocky bottom at a water depth of 1,549 meters from station FX-Dive 225 on seamount M8 on June 13, 2019.
The colony adhered to rocky bottom and was inhabited by individuals of the ophiuroid order Euryalida.
The uniplanar and dichotomous colony, is about 329 mm long and 340 mm wide.
The holding disc is almost circular, 53 - 72 mm in diameter, from which two main stems arise.
The main stems are somewhat compressed, the larger being 12 mm wide and 16 mm deep, the smaller about 11 mm wide and 12 mm deep.
Terminal branches are 9-134 mm long, 2-5 mm in diameter, without tufts of polyps.
Polyp tufts usually contain 5 -1 1 polyps and the tufts are 9 - 14 mm wide. Anastomoses are absent.
The colony is covered with a thin cuticle. #
Polyps are scattered around the branches and appearing at right angles, but almost free of them on one side.
The polyp calyxes are distinct and clumped mainly at the branch tips and rarely along the branches
All polyps are expanded when alive, contractile, but are not fully retracted into the calyxes when disturbed.
There is a row of 7-10 pinnae on each side of the tentacles, the middle ones being the largest.
The tentacles are armed mainly with tuberculate rods and clubs 267-565 μm long (food catching).
Polyps and the coenenchyma are light purple in vivo and in freshly collected specimens.
All stability-bearing sclerites are transparent and colorless in transmitted light.
Etymology:
The species name "iocasica" is composed of "IOCAS" (abbreviation for Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China) and the Latin suffix "icus" (belonging to), in celebration of the founding and 70th birthday of IOCAS.
Literature reference:
www.frontiersin.org
Frontiers in Marine Science
Autoren: Yang li, Zifeng Zhan und Kuidong Xu1
Morphology and Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of Deep-Sea Purple Gorgonians (Octocorallia: Victorgorgiidae) from Seamounts in the Tropical Western Pacific, with Description of Three New Species
The colony adhered to rocky bottom and was inhabited by individuals of the ophiuroid order Euryalida.
The uniplanar and dichotomous colony, is about 329 mm long and 340 mm wide.
The holding disc is almost circular, 53 - 72 mm in diameter, from which two main stems arise.
The main stems are somewhat compressed, the larger being 12 mm wide and 16 mm deep, the smaller about 11 mm wide and 12 mm deep.
Terminal branches are 9-134 mm long, 2-5 mm in diameter, without tufts of polyps.
Polyp tufts usually contain 5 -1 1 polyps and the tufts are 9 - 14 mm wide. Anastomoses are absent.
The colony is covered with a thin cuticle. #
Polyps are scattered around the branches and appearing at right angles, but almost free of them on one side.
The polyp calyxes are distinct and clumped mainly at the branch tips and rarely along the branches
All polyps are expanded when alive, contractile, but are not fully retracted into the calyxes when disturbed.
There is a row of 7-10 pinnae on each side of the tentacles, the middle ones being the largest.
The tentacles are armed mainly with tuberculate rods and clubs 267-565 μm long (food catching).
Polyps and the coenenchyma are light purple in vivo and in freshly collected specimens.
All stability-bearing sclerites are transparent and colorless in transmitted light.
Etymology:
The species name "iocasica" is composed of "IOCAS" (abbreviation for Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China) and the Latin suffix "icus" (belonging to), in celebration of the founding and 70th birthday of IOCAS.
Literature reference:
www.frontiersin.org
Frontiers in Marine Science
Autoren: Yang li, Zifeng Zhan und Kuidong Xu1
Morphology and Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of Deep-Sea Purple Gorgonians (Octocorallia: Victorgorgiidae) from Seamounts in the Tropical Western Pacific, with Description of Three New Species
