Schizopathidae

Diagnosis. Family characterized by elongate polyps, in the direction of the axis, with a transverse diameter of 2 mm or more, each possessing six primary and four secondary mesenteries (Opresko 2002). Polyps may be divided into three distinct sections (Brook 1889; Opresko 1997, 2002; Wagner et al. 2011). Spines on the surface of the skeleton typically simple, smooth and triangular / conical, laterally compressed, rarely bifurcated at the apex (Opresko 2002, 2005; Opresko & Breedy 2010). Spines may vary in size in relation to polypar vs. abpolypar position. Colonies usually pinnulate to some degree (Opresko 2002, Opresko & Breedy 2010). Genera are distinguished by the branching morphology of the corallum, the morphology, number and arrangement of pinnules and subpinnules, including their presence or absence on the stem, and point of basal attachment with the substrate (Opresko 2002, 2005).

Remarks. Classification of the family Schizopathidae based on the division of subfamilies by Brook (1889), revised by Opresko (2002). Nine genera were assigned to the family by Opresko in 2002, a remarkable five of these new to science. Two additional new schizopathid genera were described by Opresko in 2005. The elongation and appearance of the polyps, general aspects of the corallum, such as branching patterns and pinnules, and spine morphology, were used to place Telopathes gen. nov. into the family Schizopathidae, with molecular analyses strongly supporting this decision. Histological work has not been performed to verify whether six primary and four secondary mesenteries occur, which is diagnostic of the family, or to investigate the deep involutions on the polyps. Such involutions were originally thought to delineate separate, dimorphic polyps in the schizopathid antipatharians Bathypathes and Schizopathes (Brook 1889). This idea was discredited as specialization within individual polyps (e. g. Opresko 1997, 2002 and references therein), but the idea of polyp dimorphism existing within the Antipatharia, a common condition in the Cnidaria in general, is not without question (Molodtsova 2006, Wagner et al. 2011).