A new octocoral species of Swiftia (Holaxonia, Plexauridae) from the upper bathyal off Mauritania (NE Atlantic)

Abstract

Three species of the genus Swiftia are known for the NE Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) surveys and sampling on board RV Maria S. Merian during cruise MSM 16/3 ‘PHAETON’ in 2010 provided footage and specimens of octocorals off Mauritania. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) reveals, for the first time in taxonomy of octocorals, the three-dimensional arrangement of the sclerites in a polyp. Swiftia phaetonsp. nov. is described for the continental slope off Mauritania. This azooxanthellate octocoral is distinctive from NE Atlantic and Mediterranean congenerics by the dark red colour of the colonies (including the polyps), the presence of a layer of rod sclerites on top of the polyp mounds, and different sizes of polyps and sclerites. Using micro-CT has allowed the observation and imaging of a layer of sclerites that is distinct from other species of the same genus. ROV images revealed live records of S. phaetonsp. nov. in submarine canyons and on cold-water coral mounds in the upper-bathyal off Mauritania (396–639 m depth), mainly attached to dead coral, coral rubble, or rocks. The new species represents an extension of the genus distribution to the tropical latitudes (17°07'N and 20°14'N) of the NE Atlantic Ocean.

The Mauritanian Slope (NE Atlantic) Has No Desert:Swiftia phaeton(Holaxonia: Plexauridae) Shaping Coral Gardens

“…In 2010, RV Maria S. Merian cruise MSM 16/3 "PHAETON"-Paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic record on the Mauritanian shelf off Mauritania was targeting the coral-mound barrier off Mauritania with an ROV and an exploratory mindset that led to the discovery of octocoral gardens throughout its slope [30]. As a result of this expedition, a new species of the genus Swiftia was discovered and recently submitted on a distinct publication including its distribution [38]. With this study, we aim to characterize the first African biotope of the genus Swiftia in the NE Atlantic Ocean, to discuss its distribution, considering biotic factors and anthropogenic influences, using it as a case study to discuss the definition of the concept "coral garden" and its implications for deep-sea conservation.…”