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The genus Antipathes is characterized by branching, thorny, bushy or fan-shaped colonies.
The branches of these black corals are not feathery and the polyps occur in a single row on smaller branches.
The spines can be smooth or papillose, simple or forked, multi-lobed or knobbly at the tip.
Currently, there are about 70 nominal species (Opresko 2019), 36 of which are from the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and 13 of which have lost their type species.
New species are still being described, which makes it difficult to determine the exact number of species belonging to the genus Antipathes.
A branched and bushy colony, 75 cm in height and with a base diameter of 1.5 cm,
Its branches are pseudodichotomously subdivided and vertically elongated and almost parallel, being inserted at an acute angle to the thicker branch.
On the distal thick branches, smaller branches often arise from the same area and from different sides, giving the colony the general shape of a candlestick.
There is no fusion between adjacent branches, but sometimes vertically erected branches can fuse with the main axis when they come into contact.
The polyps are usually arranged in a single row, but on branches they are often arranged on both sides, so that they look like two rows.
When arranged in a single row, they can coil around the branch.
On thicker branches, they are distributed around the branch. The polyps appear large with thick and rounded tentacles and measure 1.0–1.7 mm in diameter.
The distance between the polyps is not uniform, the polyps can be close together or up to 1 mm apart, and there are 8–9 polyps on a centimeter.
The spines are conical, sometimes curving slightly upwards on thin branches and sloping distally on thicker branches
The spines have papillae on each side over two-thirds of their surface and several rounded knobs at the tip.
The spines can also be stout and have a flattened and nubby tip on larger branches.
Literature reference:
Terrana, Lucas & Bo, Marzia & Opresko, Dennis & Eeckhaut, Igor. (2020).
Shallow-water black corals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Antipatharia) from SW Madagascar.
Zootaxa. 4826. 10.11646/zootaxa.4826.1.1.
The branches of these black corals are not feathery and the polyps occur in a single row on smaller branches.
The spines can be smooth or papillose, simple or forked, multi-lobed or knobbly at the tip.
Currently, there are about 70 nominal species (Opresko 2019), 36 of which are from the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and 13 of which have lost their type species.
New species are still being described, which makes it difficult to determine the exact number of species belonging to the genus Antipathes.
A branched and bushy colony, 75 cm in height and with a base diameter of 1.5 cm,
Its branches are pseudodichotomously subdivided and vertically elongated and almost parallel, being inserted at an acute angle to the thicker branch.
On the distal thick branches, smaller branches often arise from the same area and from different sides, giving the colony the general shape of a candlestick.
There is no fusion between adjacent branches, but sometimes vertically erected branches can fuse with the main axis when they come into contact.
The polyps are usually arranged in a single row, but on branches they are often arranged on both sides, so that they look like two rows.
When arranged in a single row, they can coil around the branch.
On thicker branches, they are distributed around the branch. The polyps appear large with thick and rounded tentacles and measure 1.0–1.7 mm in diameter.
The distance between the polyps is not uniform, the polyps can be close together or up to 1 mm apart, and there are 8–9 polyps on a centimeter.
The spines are conical, sometimes curving slightly upwards on thin branches and sloping distally on thicker branches
The spines have papillae on each side over two-thirds of their surface and several rounded knobs at the tip.
The spines can also be stout and have a flattened and nubby tip on larger branches.
Literature reference:
Terrana, Lucas & Bo, Marzia & Opresko, Dennis & Eeckhaut, Igor. (2020).
Shallow-water black corals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Antipatharia) from SW Madagascar.
Zootaxa. 4826. 10.11646/zootaxa.4826.1.1.
