A revision of the octocoral genus Ovabunda (Alderslade, 2001) (Anthozoa, Octocorallia, Xeniidae)

By

Halàsz, Anna
McFadden, Catherine
Aharonivich, Dafna
Toonen, Robert J.
Benayahu, Yehuda

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2014

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

373

Pages

1-41

Subjects

Red Sea , sclerite microstructure , taxonomy , Xenia

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.373.6511

 

Abstract

The family Xeniidae (Octocorallia) constitutes an abundant benthic component on many Indo-West Pacific coral reefs and is ecologically important in the Red Sea. The genus Ovabunda Alderslade, 2001 was recently established to accommodate previous Xenia species with sclerites comprised of a mass of minute corpuscle-shaped microscleres. The aim of the present study was to examine type material of Xenia species in order to verify their generic affiliation. We present here a comprehensive account of the genus Ovabunda, using scanning electron microscopy to depict sclerite microstructure. We assign three Xenia species to the genus: O. ainex comb. n., O. gohari comb. n., and O. crenata comb. n.; and synonymize several other species of Ovabunda. We provide a key to Ovabunda species and conclude that they are mainly confined to the Red Sea, with some occurrence in the West Indian Ocean.