A new species of the octocorallian genus Alcyonium (Anthozoa: Alcyonacea) from southern Africa, with a revised diagnosis of the genus

Abstract

A new species of fungiform soft coral, Alcyonium planiceps sp. nov. (family Alcyoniidae), is described from the Cape Peninsula of South Africa. The species is common in shallow sublittoral waters at the type locality and has also been collected from off East London, eastern Cape Province, in deeper water. This new species has a number of characteristics in common with Alcyonium complanatum Verseveldt, 1977 from western Australia, but differs significantly in several other aspects. The genus Alcyonium is considered here to be a morphologically diverse one: therefore, an amended definition is provided to encompass considerable variability in growth form.