Bayergorgia vermidoma Williams & Lopez-Gonzalez 2005
- Dataset
- Checklist of Benthic Cnidaria in the SW Atlantic Ocean (54 ºS- 56 ºS)
- Rank
- SPECIES
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Cnidaria
- class
- Anthozoa
- order
- Alcyonacea
- family
- Plexauridae
- genus
- Bayergorgia
- species
- Bayergorgia vermidoma
discussion
Remarks: The original diagnosis of the species does not include branched specimens (Williams & López-González 2005). Although the authors discuss some branched forms, it is unlikely these specimens correspond to a different new species. Besides the presence of branching, we could not find clear boundaries between those two morphotypes either in the specimens examined herein or in specimens from other areas (unpublished data). Thus, we suggest the emendation of the diagnosis of B. vermidoma to include both branched and unbranched forms. Some of the studied specimens presented epibionts, mainly other cnidarians (see Schejter et al. 2020).
distribution
Distribution: Drake Passage (61 ° 26.08 ’ S, 58 ° 06.2 ’ W, 1047 – 1227 m); Elephant Island, (61 ° 18.14 ’ S, 56 ° 8.27 ’ W, 281.1 – 288.6 m); Shag Rocks (53 ° 23.59 ’ S, 42 ° 41.78 ’ W, 223.6 – 307 m) Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Is.; South Georgia Is. (54 ° 29 ’ S, 39 ° 22 ’ W, 659 – 686 m); South Orkney Is. (60 ° 22 ’ S, 46 ° 50 ’ W, 298 – 403 m) (Williams & López-González 2005); off Cape Horn (57 ° 00.33 ’ S, 67 ° 35.1 ’ W, 450 m; 57 ° 13.81 ’ S, 67 ° 02.32 ’ W 1100 m); Burdwood bank 54 ° 31´S, 62 ° 11´W 330 m as Clavularia sp. (Schejter et al. 2016 a).); Elephant Island (61 ° 15´S, 56 ° 24´W, 450 m) (Auscavitch & Waller 2017); Drake Passage, 57 ° 04´S, 67 ° 30´W, 850 m (Waller & Robinson 2011 as Bayergorgia sp.); off Tierra del Fuego, Burdwood bank (130 – 785 m) (present study).
materials_examined
Material examined: BBB 2016: St. 12; St. 13; St. 18; St. 21; St. 23; St. 26; St. 36; St. 38; St. 40. PD BB 2017: St. 14; St. 21; St. 43 (MACN-In: 43486, 43487).