A new gorgonian Pseudopterogorgiananjiensis sp. nov. (Cnidaria, Octocorallia, Gorgoniidae) from the Nanji Islands, China

Tingzai Sun; Yu Xu; Kuidong Xu; Shun Chen; Shangwei Xie; Zifeng Zhan

doi:10.3897/zookeys.1213.126841

A new gorgonian Pseudopterogorgiananjiensis sp. nov. (Cnidaria, Octocorallia, Gorgoniidae) from the Nanji Islands, China

Zookeys. 2024 Sep 27:1213:237-249. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1213.126841. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Tingzai Sun^{1

2}, Yu Xu¹, Kuidong Xu^{1

3

4

2}, Shun Chen⁵, Shangwei Xie⁶, Zifeng Zhan^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Qingdao Key Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Qingdao China.
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.
³ Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519082, China Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center Qingdao China.
⁴ Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory Zhuhai China.
⁵ National Engineering Research Center of Marine Facilities Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China Zhejiang Ocean University Zhoushan China.
⁶ Nanji Islands National Marine Nature Reserve Administration, Wenzhou 325400, China Nanji Islands National Marine Nature Reserve Administration Wenzhou China.

Abstract

Members of the genus Pseudopterogorgia Kükenthal, 1919 are widely distributed in shallow water of the Indo-West Pacific. During an investigation of benthic biodiversity in the subtidal zone surrounding the Nanji Islands in the East China Sea, two specimens of Pseudopterogorgia were collected and described as a new species based on an integrated morphological-molecular approach. Pseudopterogorgiananjiensis sp. nov. is most similar to P.fredericki Williams & Vennam, 2001 in the irregular branching form and indistinct scaphoids, but differs by the coenenchymal sclerite content of distinct capstans and a few warty spindles and radiates (vs. mostly warty spindles and a few capstans), and a purplish colony (vs. white, pink to deep rose). Molecular phylogenetic analyses, based on the mtMutS-COI gene sequences, delineated a monophyletic clade encompassing all assessed Pseudopterogorgia species. Within this clade, P.nanjiensis sp. nov. showed a close phylogenetic affinity with both P.fredericki and P.australiensis Ridley, 1884.

Keywords: 28S rDNA; Anthozoa; COI; Malacalcyonacea; Pseudopterogorgiananjiensis; morphology; mtMutS; new species; phylogeny; taxonomy.

Tingzai Sun, Yu Xu, Kuidong Xu, Shun Chen, Shangwei Xie, Zifeng Zhan.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 42176128 and No. 41930533), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB42000000), the Senior User Project of RV KEXUE (KEXUE2020GZ02), and Science and Technology Program of Nanji Islands National Marine Nature Reserve Administration (JJZB-PYCG-2021112901).