How long have we been mistaken? Multi-tools shedding light into the systematics of the widespread deep-water genus Madrepora Linnaeus, 1758 (Scleractinia).

Deep-water coral reefs are found worldwide and harbor biodiversity levels that are comparable to their shallow-water counterparts. However, the genetic diversity and population structure of deep-water species remain poorly explored, and historical taxonomical issues still need to be resolved. Here we used microsatellite markers as well as ultraconserved elements (UCE) and exons to shed light on the population structure, genetic diversity, and phylogenetic position of the genus Madrepora, which contains M. oculata, one of the most widespread scleractinian species. Population structure of 107 samples from three Southwestern Atlantic sedimentary basins revealed the occurrence of a cryptic species, herein named M. piresae sp. nov. (authored by Kitahara, Capel and Zilberberg), which can be found in sympatry with M. oculata. Phylogeny reconstructions based on 134 UCEs and exon regions corroborated the population genetic data, with the recovery of two well-supported groups, and reinforced the polyphyly of the family Oculinidae. In order to better accommodate the genus Madrepora, while reducing taxonomical confusion associated with the name Madreporidae, we propose the monogeneric family Bathyporidae fam. nov. (authored by Kitahara, Capel, Zilberberg and Cairns). Our findings advance the knowledge on the widespread deep-water genus Madrepora, resolve a long-standing question regarding the phylogenetic position of the genus, and highlight the need of a worldwide review of the genus.

A phylogenetic analysis of the Primnoidae (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Calcaxonia) with analyses of character evolution and a key to the genera and subgenera.

BACKGROUND: Previous phylogenetic analyses of primnoid octocorals utilizing morphological or molecular data have each recovered evolutionary relationships among genera that are largely incongruent with each other, with some exceptions. In an effort to reconcile molecular-based phylogenies with morphological characters, phylogenetic reconstructions were performed with 33 of 43 primnoid genera using four loci (mtMutS, COI, 28S and 18S), and ancestral state reconstructions were performed using 9 taxonomically relevant characters. In addition, an updated illustrated key to the current 48 genus-level (43 genera, 5 subgenera) primnoids is presented. RESULTS: Ancestral state reconstruction recovered the ancestral colony shape of primnoids as dichotomous planar. Convergence was detected among all 9 characters, and reversals to the character state of the common ancestor occurred in 4 characters. However, some characters were found to be informative. For example, the weak ascus scale of Metafannyella is not likely homologous to the ascus scales of Onogorgia and Fannyella, and the monophyly of two subgenera within Thouarella, which contain polyps in either whorls or an isolated arrangement, was supported. Phylogenetic analyses were generally consistent with previous studies, and resulted in the synonymy of one genus and a subgenus, the elevation of two subgenera, and the transfer of two species back to an original genus. For example, body wall ornamentation of Fanellia was re-evaluated, indicating a synonymy with Callogorgia; the utility of polyp arrangement for the subgenus Plumarella (Dicholaphis) was not supported, and is synonymized with the nominate subgenus Plumarella (Plumarella); the subgenera Plumarella (Faxiella) and Plumarella (Verticillata) are raised to generic status; and the two Plumarella species (P. diadema and P. undulata) are transferred back to Thouarella based on the homology of their marginal scales. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, and similar to other octocorallian groups, these results indicate that many of the morphological characters examined among primnoids, particularly colony morphology, are labile and exhibit complex evolutionary histories. However, some morphological characters such as coordination of polyps, presence of the ascus body wall scale, number of rows of body wall scales, and number of marginal scales help identify many clades, and are suitable for robust systematic assessments among primnoids.

Diversity patterns of the South African azooxanthellate scleractinians (Cnidaria: Anthozoa), with considerations of environmental correlates.

Azooxanthellate scleractinian corals, a group of species that lack a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates, are influenced by environmental variables at various scales. As the global commitment to sustainably manage ocean ecosystems and resources rises, there is a growing need to describe biodiversity trends in previously unsampled areas. Benthic invertebrate research in South Africa is a developing field, and many taxa in deep water environments remain inadequately characterized. Recently, the South African azooxanthellate scleractinian fauna was taxonomically reviewed, but their distributional correlations with physical parameters have not been studied. Here we aim to understand the biodiversity gradients of the South African azooxanthellate coral fauna by analysing the environmental correlates of museum samples. The associated coordinate data were georeferenced and depth obtained from a national bathymetric dataset, prior to undertaking a multivariate analysis. This analysis encompassed several steps, including the grouping of the longitude and depth data (environmental data), identifying families characteristic of the group variability, and examining the correlation of the associated data with the biological data. Additionally, the analysis involved quantifying diversity patterns along the environmental gradients. Overall, our results confirmed two longitudinal groups (eastern margin [Group A] vs southern and western margin [Group B]) and 11 depth categories represented within two bathymetric zones (shallow [50-200 m] and deep [300-1000 m]). Caryophylliids, flabellids, and dendrophylliids contributed the most towards distinguishing longitudinal and depth gradients. Both abiotic variable (longitudinal and depth) partially explained coral distribution patterns, with depth being highly correlated to the species variation observed. Data limitations within our data set resulted to unexplained variance, however, despite these limitations, the study demonstrates that historical museum samples provide a valuable data source that can fill research sampling gaps and help improve the understanding of biodiversity patterns of the coral fauna in under sampled marine ecosystems.

Stylasteridae (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Filifera) from South Africa.

We describe and figure the 20 species of stylasterid hydrozoans known from South Africa. These consist of seven new species, six range extensions, and seven species previously known from South African. Most of the specimens reported resulted from expeditions of the Pieter Faure (1898-1903) and Meiring Naude (1975-1987), and are deposited primarily in the South African Museum (Cape Town). A replacement name (Errina australis) is proposed for the junior homonym Errina hicksoni Cairns, 1991. A brief history of species discovery of the South African stylasterids is presented. The new morphological term dactyloglossa is introrduced to define a baffle-like structure found in dactylopores of some species. Of the 20 South African species, 12 (60%) are not yet known outside that area. Three patterns of distribution were noted: species confined to the tropical region of South Africa, those found in both the tropical and warm temperate regions of S. Africa, and those found only in the warm temperate regions, three in the latter group sharing their distribution with cold temperate southern South America and two with warm temperate New Zealand, representing a circum-southern temperate distribution.

New records of deep-water-Scleractinia off Argentina and the Falkland Islands.

The twenty species of Scleractinia (all azooxanthellate) known to occur off Argentina and the Falkland Islands (the At lantic component of the cold temperate Magellan Province) are discussed, 15 of which are documented by new records Five new species are described: Caryophyllia kellerae, C. coronula, Solenosmilia australis, Flabellum cinctutum, and Ja vania cristata. Five geographic and nine bathymetric range extensions are also documented. A brief history of species dis covery in this region is given, and a key to the species is provided.

Erratum: Corrigendum: Filander ZN, Kitahara MV, Cairns SD, Sink KJ, Lombard AT (2021) Azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) from South Africa. ZooKeys 1066: 1-198. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1066.69697.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1066.69697.].

The ancient evolutionary origins of Scleractinia revealed by azooxanthellate corals.

BACKGROUND: Scleractinian corals are currently a focus of major interest because of their ecological importance and the uncertain fate of coral reefs in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressure. Despite this, remarkably little is known about the evolutionary origins of corals. The Scleractinia suddenly appear in the fossil record about 240 Ma, but the range of morphological variation seen in these Middle Triassic fossils is comparable to that of modern scleractinians, implying much earlier origins that have so far remained elusive. A significant weakness in reconstruction(s) of early coral evolution is that deep-sea corals have been poorly represented in molecular phylogenetic analyses. RESULTS: By adding new data from a large and representative range of deep-water species to existing molecular datasets and applying a relaxed molecular clock, we show that two exclusively deep-sea families, the Gardineriidae and Micrabaciidae, diverged prior to the Complexa/Robusta coral split around 425 Ma, thereby pushing the evolutionary origin of scleractinian corals deep into the Paleozoic. CONCLUSIONS: The early divergence and distinctive morphologies of the extant gardineriid and micrabaciid corals suggest a link with Ordovician "scleractiniamorph" fossils that were previously assumed to represent extinct anthozoan skeletonized lineages. Therefore, scleractinian corals most likely evolved from Paleozoic soft-bodied ancestors. Modern shallow-water Scleractinia, which are dependent on symbionts, appear to have had several independent origins from solitary, non-symbiotic precursors. The Scleractinia have survived periods of massive climate change in the past, suggesting that as a lineage they may be less vulnerable to future changes than often assumed.

A brief review of the stony coral (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Scleractinia) papers published by Zootaxa in its first 20 years.

In the 20 year history of Zootaxa, thirty-two papers have been published having Scleractinia as its primary focus. Twenty-four of the 32 scleractinian papers deal with Recent taxa, most of which belonging to shallow-water, reef corals. The 8 publications dealing with fossil Scleractinia include 3 monographic works, three papers discussing nomenclatural issues of individual taxa, and 2 papers deal with various aspects of select genera.

Azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) from South Africa.

Globally, South Africa ranks in the top five countries regarding marine species richness per unit area. Given the high diversity, it is not surprising that many invertebrate taxa in the region are poorly characterised. The South African azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Anthozoa) is one such taxonomic group, and was last reviewed by Boshoff in 1980. Although more recent regional publications have reported on some species, there has not been a faunistic review that accounts for the country's species diversity since then. Moreover, numerous unidentified specimens representing more than three decades of sampling effort have accumulated. In this study the authors update the state of knowledge of South African azooxanthellate coral species. Specimens, particularly those within the extensive collections of the Iziko South African and Smithsonian museums, were morphologically examined and identified. Other data considered included historic data represented as imagery data, associated species data from recent research surveys, and the scientific literature. To date, the study has increased the total number of known species from 77 to 108 across eleven families, 28 new South African records, and three are new species with one new genus.

Discovery of deep-water coral frameworks in the northern Red Sea waters of Saudi Arabia.

This paper reports a deep-water coral framework (a single colonial bush or a larger bioconstruction of coral covering the sea bottom), formed entirely by the scleractinian coral Eguchipsammia fistula (Alcock, 1902) (Dendrophylliidae), in the northern Red Sea waters of Saudi Arabia at a depth of about 640 m. The framework consists of mostly live corals with a total area of about 10 m2 and the length of the individual coral branches range from 12 to 30 cm. Although E. fistula is ubiquitous, this discovery is the second record of a framework formed by this species and the first discovery of a large living reef in the Red Sea. The results of the genetic study indicate the potential existence of a genetic variation of E. fistula in the Red Sea. This discovery implies that the Red Sea has favorable habitats for framework-forming DWC species and highlights the need for conducting more systematic surveys for understanding their distribution, abundance, and ecology.

An illustrated key to the species of the genus Narella (Cnidaria, Octocorallia, Primnoidae).

A history of the description of the 50 valid species of Narella is given, beginning with the first species described in 1860. To help differentiate the various species, a tabular and a polychotomous key are provided. The species in the keys are arranged using nine characters or character sets that are believed to be of value at the species level. New characters or new significance given to previously described characters used in our keys include: 1) the nature of the dorsolateral edge of the basal scale, being ridged or not, 2) the thickness of the body wall scales, and 3) the arrangement of the coenenchymal scales (imbricate or mosaic), their thickness (thin or massive), and their outer surface ornamentation (ridged or not). All characters used in the keys are illustrated.

Primnoidae (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Calcaxonia) of the Okeanos Explorer expeditions (CAPSTONE) to the central Pacific.

This paper discusses and illustrates the 23 primnoid species collected by the R/V Okeanos Explorer in the US marine protected areas in the central and western Pacific, ranging from the Musician Seamounts in the north to American Samoa to the south, and the northern Mariana Islands to the west (CAPSTONE expeditions, 2015-2017). In situ photographs are provided for most species. Thirteen of the 23 species are described as new, as well as two new genera. One new genus, Macroprimnoa, possesses some of the largest polyps in the family. A dichotomous key is provided to facilitate comparisons among the 27 species of Calyptrophora. An update of the abyssal octocorallian species occurring deeper than 3000 m is provided, increasing that number from 39 to 49 species. The character of the articulating ridge, found on the distal edge of the basal body wall scales, is re-evaluated, resulting in four genera having this character state, and requiring the description of the new genus Pseudonarella.

Deep-Water Octocorals (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) from the Galápagos and Cocos Islands. Part 1: Suborder Calcaxonia.

Thirteen species of deep-water calcaxonian octocorals belonging to the families Primnoidae, Chrysogorgiidae, and Isididae collected from off the Galápagos and Cocos Islands are described and figured. Seven of these species are described as new; nine of the 13 are not known outside the Galápagos region. Of the four species occurring elsewhere, two also occur in the eastern Pacific, one off Hawaii, and one from off Antarctica. A key to the 22 Indo-Pacific species of Callogorgia is provided to help distinguish those species.

Corrigenda: Cairns SD (2018) Deep-Water Octocorals (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) from the Galápagos and Cocos Islands. Part 1: Suborder Calcaxonia. ZooKeys 729: 1-46. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.729.21779.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.729.21779.].

Callogorgia lucaya sp. nov., a new species of deep-sea Primnoidae (Anthozoa: Octocorallia) from the western Atlantic.

As part of an ongoing reassessment of the genus Callogorgia, we describe C. lucaya sp. nov. from the western Atlantic, with a distribution so far restricted to the Straits of Florida and northern Caribbean. The species was partially described in an unfinished manuscript of Dr. Frederick Bayer and differs from all other western Atlantic species by commonly lacking outer-lateral body wall scales, having a small number of abaxials, and having body wall sclerites that are externally almost smooth. (Species Zoobank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CF8F92FC-8F8A-4A8C-AF4A-52E12B58F7B1).

A new genus and species of golden coral (Anthozoa, Octocorallia, Chrysogorgiidae) from the Northwest Atlantic.

A new genus and species of unbranched golden coral, Flagelligorgia gracilis, is described based on several specimens collected off the southeastern coast of the United States. The genus is provisionally included in the family Chrysogorgiidae, pending molecular confirmation. Flagelligorgia morphologically resembles other unbranched chrysogorgiids, such as Distichogorgia, Chalcogorgia, Helicogorgia and Radicipes, to which it is compared. The type species is illustrated and its distribution mapped.

Corrigendum: The Coral Trait Database, a curated database of trait information for coral species from the global oceans.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2016.17.

A key to the genera and species of the transversely-dividing Flabellidae (Anthozoa, Scleractinia, Flabellidae), with a guide to the literature, and the description of two new species.

The transversely-dividing flabellids consist of five genera (Truncatoflabellum, Placotrochides, Blastotrochus, Placotrochus, and Falcatoflabellum) and 45 species. A dichotomous key is provided for these five genera as well as the species of the genus Truncatoflabellum and Placotrochides, the other three genera being monotypic. A tabular key is also provided for the 38 species of Truncatoflabellum. Two new combinations are suggested (Truncatoflabellum gambierense and Truncatoflabellum sphenodeum) and two new species are described (Truncatoflabellum duncani and Truncatoflabellum mozambiquensis). All but one species are illustrated and accompanied by their known distribution and a guide to the pertinent literature for the species. New records of 19 of the 45 species are listed. The transversely-dividing flabellids range from the Middle Eocene to the Recent at depths of 2-3010 m, and constitute 60% of the 65 known extant species of transversely-dividing Scleractinia.

The Coral Trait Database, a curated database of trait information for coral species from the global oceans.

Trait-based approaches advance ecological and evolutionary research because traits provide a strong link to an organism's function and fitness. Trait-based research might lead to a deeper understanding of the functions of, and services provided by, ecosystems, thereby improving management, which is vital in the current era of rapid environmental change. Coral reef scientists have long collected trait data for corals; however, these are difficult to access and often under-utilized in addressing large-scale questions. We present the Coral Trait Database initiative that aims to bring together physiological, morphological, ecological, phylogenetic and biogeographic trait information into a single repository. The database houses species- and individual-level data from published field and experimental studies alongside contextual data that provide important framing for analyses. In this data descriptor, we release data for 56 traits for 1547 species, and present a collaborative platform on which other trait data are being actively federated. Our overall goal is for the Coral Trait Database to become an open-source, community-led data clearinghouse that accelerates coral reef research.