CSIRO Publishing Invertebrate Systematics
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You don't have to travel far, here in the deep sea around Ireland, more precisely in Whittard Canyon, Fangorn Bank, Irish Continental Slope, to discover new corals, but you do need to use an ROV.
With the ROV Holland I from the research vessel RV Celtic Explorer cruise CE140009, two new bamboo corals were discovered, Explorisis katharina and Explorisis poppyae.
The first description, “A new genus of bamboo coral (Octocorallia: Scleralcyonacea: Keratoisididae) from the Whittard Canyon, Ireland, Northeast Atlantic,” introduces a new genus of bamboo corals, the genus “Explorisis.”
Basic information about Explorisis katharina:
The colony branches dichotomously or trichotomously at the junctions. The main axis is slender and covered with a thin coenenchyme.
The polyps are volcanic, barrel-shaped, or trumpet-shaped, and the polyp body contains longitudinally striated rods or granulated spindles.
Sclerites may protrude beyond the base of the tentacles, and the coenenchyme may contain pointed rods and spindles resembling the polyp body, as well as slightly wavy, flattened rods and clubs.
Flattened rods with irregular edges occur in both the tentacles and the pharynx.
The colony branches dichotomously or trichotomously at the junctions. The main axis is slender and covered with a thin coenenchyme. The polyps are volcanic, barrel-shaped, or trumpet-shaped. Longitudinally striated or granular spindles are rods found in the polyp body. Sclerites may protrude beyond the base of the tentacles, but do not always follow the mesenteries.
The coenchyme may contain pointed rods and spindles resembling the polyp body, as well as slightly wavy, flattened rods and clubs. Flattened rods with irregular margins occur in both the tentacles and the pharynx.
The colony branches dichotomously or trichotomously at the nodes.
The main axis is slender and covered with a thin coenenchyme.
The holotype consists of two branches, each ~20 cm long, with longitudinally striated internodes and light brown nodes.
The nodes are ~1.7 mm in size, while the length of the internodes varies between 6 and 12 mm, with an average of 10.1 mm.
The polyps vary from cylindrical to volcano-shaped and are orange in situ, predominantly arranged on three sides of the coral axis. The coenenchyme is transparent to orange in situ and dark brown after preservation.
Etymology
Named after D. Morrissey's maternal grandmother, Kathleen O'Boyle, with “Katharina” (treated as a noun in apposition) being the Latin origin of Kathleen. Morrissey attributes his lifelong passion for science and marine life to the trips he took with his family, including his grandmother, to Pollock Holes, Co. Clare, Ireland.
Scientific reference::
Morrissey D et al. (2024)
A new genus of bamboo coral (Octocorallia: Scleralcyonacea: Keratoisididae) from the Whittard Canyon, Ireland, Northeast Atlantic.
Invertebrate Systematics 38, IS24021. doi:10.1071/IS24021 © 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing.
© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
With the ROV Holland I from the research vessel RV Celtic Explorer cruise CE140009, two new bamboo corals were discovered, Explorisis katharina and Explorisis poppyae.
The first description, “A new genus of bamboo coral (Octocorallia: Scleralcyonacea: Keratoisididae) from the Whittard Canyon, Ireland, Northeast Atlantic,” introduces a new genus of bamboo corals, the genus “Explorisis.”
Basic information about Explorisis katharina:
The colony branches dichotomously or trichotomously at the junctions. The main axis is slender and covered with a thin coenenchyme.
The polyps are volcanic, barrel-shaped, or trumpet-shaped, and the polyp body contains longitudinally striated rods or granulated spindles.
Sclerites may protrude beyond the base of the tentacles, and the coenenchyme may contain pointed rods and spindles resembling the polyp body, as well as slightly wavy, flattened rods and clubs.
Flattened rods with irregular edges occur in both the tentacles and the pharynx.
The colony branches dichotomously or trichotomously at the junctions. The main axis is slender and covered with a thin coenenchyme. The polyps are volcanic, barrel-shaped, or trumpet-shaped. Longitudinally striated or granular spindles are rods found in the polyp body. Sclerites may protrude beyond the base of the tentacles, but do not always follow the mesenteries.
The coenchyme may contain pointed rods and spindles resembling the polyp body, as well as slightly wavy, flattened rods and clubs. Flattened rods with irregular margins occur in both the tentacles and the pharynx.
The colony branches dichotomously or trichotomously at the nodes.
The main axis is slender and covered with a thin coenenchyme.
The holotype consists of two branches, each ~20 cm long, with longitudinally striated internodes and light brown nodes.
The nodes are ~1.7 mm in size, while the length of the internodes varies between 6 and 12 mm, with an average of 10.1 mm.
The polyps vary from cylindrical to volcano-shaped and are orange in situ, predominantly arranged on three sides of the coral axis. The coenenchyme is transparent to orange in situ and dark brown after preservation.
Etymology
Named after D. Morrissey's maternal grandmother, Kathleen O'Boyle, with “Katharina” (treated as a noun in apposition) being the Latin origin of Kathleen. Morrissey attributes his lifelong passion for science and marine life to the trips he took with his family, including his grandmother, to Pollock Holes, Co. Clare, Ireland.
Scientific reference::
Morrissey D et al. (2024)
A new genus of bamboo coral (Octocorallia: Scleralcyonacea: Keratoisididae) from the Whittard Canyon, Ireland, Northeast Atlantic.
Invertebrate Systematics 38, IS24021. doi:10.1071/IS24021 © 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing.
© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
