Zooxanthellate, Sclerite-Free, and Pseudopinnuled Octocoral Hadaka nudidomus gen. nov. et sp. nov. (Anthozoa, Octocorallia) from Mesophotic Reefs of the Southern Ryukyus Islands

• Published in: Diversity (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 10; p. 176
• Main Authors: Lau, Yee, Reimer, James
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 22.09.2019
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Biota; Cladocopium; Coral reef ecosystems; Coral reefs; cryptofauna; Datasets; Ecosystems; Genetic relationship; genetic relationships; Islands; marine biodiversity; Marine conservation; Marine ecosystems; mesophotic coral reef environments (MCEs); Morphology; new genus; New species; Octocorallia; Phylogenetics; Polyps; Ribosomal DNA; Ryukyu Archipelago; Shallow water; stoloniferous octocorals; Symbiodiniaceae; Symbiodinium; taxonomy; Australia; Japan; Okinawa; Ryukyu Archipelago

Shallow water coral reefs are the most diverse marine ecosystems, but there is an immense gap in knowledge when it comes to understanding the diversity of the vast majority of marine biota in these ecosystems. This is especially true when it comes to understudied small and cryptic coral reef taxa in...