Dr. Juan Armando Sanchez, Kolumbien
Info
Around the Caribbean island of Tobago, several gorgonians were collected on August 16, 2002 from the sand and rubble basin of Man-of-War Bay (off Booby Island coral reef), Charlotteville, Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago), Western Atlantic, while diving at 27 meters depth. .
The first description of the new Gorgonian species was made in 2007 by Dr. Juan Armando Sanchez Muñoz of the Universidad de los Andes, Carrera, Bogota, Colombia.
The gorgonian was not "just" a new species, Dr. Sanchez Muñoz had to name a new genus of gorgonians, Tobagogorgia .
Tobagogorgia hardyi has general morphological characteristics like other gorgonoid octocorals.
The holotype has mucilaginous, whip-like and sparsely branched colonies (one main branch and two to three daughter branches) up to 300 mm long.
Branches are thin and cylindrical (2 -4 mm wide).
Color:
Live colonies are yellow with even lighter polyps (gray when dry, black in alcohol).
Polyps are distributed over the branches and have robust, 0.12 - 0.16 mm long rods.
No rows or series of polyps are observable. The sclerites are colorless. The sclerites of the surface layer consist of curved
(asymmetrical) and ornamented spindles 0.1 - 0.17 mm long.
Etymology. The new genus is named after the island "Tobago" and the suffix "gorgia", commonly used for gorgonoid genera (female gender).
The species is named in honor of Jerry D. ''Dave'' Hardy, Jr. who devoted his career to the study of biodiversity on Tobago.
Very special thanks for the first photo and permission to Dr. Juan Armando Sanchez Muñoz, Columbia.
The first description of the new Gorgonian species was made in 2007 by Dr. Juan Armando Sanchez Muñoz of the Universidad de los Andes, Carrera, Bogota, Colombia.
The gorgonian was not "just" a new species, Dr. Sanchez Muñoz had to name a new genus of gorgonians, Tobagogorgia .
Tobagogorgia hardyi has general morphological characteristics like other gorgonoid octocorals.
The holotype has mucilaginous, whip-like and sparsely branched colonies (one main branch and two to three daughter branches) up to 300 mm long.
Branches are thin and cylindrical (2 -4 mm wide).
Color:
Live colonies are yellow with even lighter polyps (gray when dry, black in alcohol).
Polyps are distributed over the branches and have robust, 0.12 - 0.16 mm long rods.
No rows or series of polyps are observable. The sclerites are colorless. The sclerites of the surface layer consist of curved
(asymmetrical) and ornamented spindles 0.1 - 0.17 mm long.
Etymology. The new genus is named after the island "Tobago" and the suffix "gorgia", commonly used for gorgonoid genera (female gender).
The species is named in honor of Jerry D. ''Dave'' Hardy, Jr. who devoted his career to the study of biodiversity on Tobago.
Very special thanks for the first photo and permission to Dr. Juan Armando Sanchez Muñoz, Columbia.
