A new deep-sea pennatulacean (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Chunellidae) from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (NE Atlantic)

Pablo J. López-González (1) , Gary C. Williams (2)

1 Biodiversidad y Ecología de Invertebrados Marinos, Departamento de Fisiología y Zoología, Facultad de Biología
2 Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology

During the BENGAL cruises, an important collection of deep-sea benthic organisms was sampled. Among the pennatulacean colonies, a previously undescribed species of chunellid was collected. That material is here described as the type species of a new genus, gen. nov. The new genus and species are described based on material collected in the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (NE Atlantic), 4,839-4,847 m in depth. This is the first time that a chunellid is reported from the Atlantic Ocean. The new genus is compared with the other genera in the family, and some phylogenetic remarks about the families Chunellidae and Umbellulidae are also provided.

Mots clés: North Atlantic; Deep sea; New species; Pennatulacea; Octocoral

Pablo J. López-González, Gary C. Williams. A new deep-sea pennatulacean (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Chunellidae) from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (NE Atlantic). Helgoland Marine Research, 2010, 65 (3), pp.309-318. ⟨10.1007/s10152-010-0224-1⟩. ⟨hal-00637077⟩