Abstract
A new species Soft coral, PARASPHAASCLERA MCFADDENAE (Octocorallia: Escleralcyonacea: Parasphaerascleridae), is described in Hardbottom Mesophotom Habitats of the Gulf of Mexico, Western Ocean of the Northern Atlantic. Previously, this family was only known by the Tropical Indo-Pacific and South Africa; Therefore, we extend the distribution of the Parasphaerascleridae family to the North Atlantic Ocean. This tiny species differs from other parasphaerasclerids by a form of captured growth, non -retractable polyps and presence of tuberculated spindles. In particular, this species was also detected in environmental DNA samples (e) of locations where it was not physically collected, highlighting the importance of so much EDNA for biodiversity surveys, as well as sampling collections to build comprehensive reference databases for Edna’s analysis.
Celentéreo, ParasphaerasCleraScleralcyonacea, North Atlantic Ocean, Edna, Mesophotic Arrecife
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| PARASPHAASCLERA MCFADDENAE sp. nov. TO) In situ Image of two colonies, b) In situ Image of the holotype before the ROV collection, yc) image of the holotype under the microscope with a 1 cm scale bar. |
PARASPHAASCLERA MCFADDENAE sp. nov.
#Paraspharascleridae #Gulf #Mexico
