Schizopathes affinis

Description of the CIDARIS Specimens: THe CIDARIS SPeCIMeNS Of S. affinis ARe SIMILAR TO THe TYPe IN bOTH THe deNSITY Of THe PINNULeS (INCReASINg fROM AbOUT 4.5 PINNULeS IN TOTAL PeR 3 CM ANd ~ 7 MM Of dISTANCe beTWeeN PINNULeS PROXIMALLY TO 8 PeR 3 CM ANd ~ 5 MM Of dISTANCe beTWeeN PINNULeS TOWARdS THe APeX Of THe CORALLUM) (FIgURe 6 A), ANd THe SIze Of THe POLYPAR SPINeS (~ 0.06 MM) beINg LARgeR THAN AbPOLYPAR SPINeS (~ 0.04 MM) (FIgURe 6 b). THe COLONY ALSO ReSeMbLeS THe TYPe SPeCIMeN bY HAVINg A dISTINCT TRIANgULAR SHAPe ANd RATIOS Of THe LONgeST ANd LOWeRMOST PINNULe COMPARed TO THe PINNULATed PORTION Of THe STeM beINg beTWeeN 1 TO 1.3, SIMILAR TO THe TYPe SPeCIMeN WITH A RATIO Of ~ 0.95. (FIgURe 6 A). FOUR ROWS Of SPINeS CAN be SeeN fROM ONe ASPeCT (FIgURe 6 b) ANd SPINeS ARe MOSTLY SIMPLe (FIgURe 6 C), WITH TWO SPeCIMeNS SHOWINg bIfURCATION Of SOMe POLYPAR SPINeS (FIgURe 6 b).

Diagnosis: COLONY MONOPOdIAL, UNbRANCHed, PINNULATe. PINNULeS SIMPLe, ARRANged ALTeRNATeLY IN TWO LATeRAL ROWS ALONg STeM; deCReASINg IN LeNgTH TOWARd APeX Of CORALLUM ANd INCLINed dISTALLY. PINNULeS 8 MM TO 10 MM APART PROXIMALLY, 5 MM TO 6 MM APART NeAR THe TOP Of CORALLUM (APPROXIMATeLY SeVeN PINNULeS TOTAL PeR 3 CM ON LOWeR PART Of CORALLUM ANd AbOUT TeN PeR 3 CM ON UPPeR PART IN HOLOTYPe). POLYPAR SPINeS SMALL, TRIANgULAR, ANd COMPReSSed; MOSTLY 0.03 MM TO 0.05 MM TALL (UP TO 0.08 MM NeAR dISTAL eNd Of PINNULeS); fOUR TO fIVe ROWS VISIbLe IN LATeRAL VIeW; WITH AbOUT SIX SPINeS PeR 1 MM. AbPOLYPAR SPINeS USUALLY SMALLeR THAN POLYPAR SPINeS, AbOUT 0.03 MM OR AbSeNT. POLYPS 3 MM TO 4.5 MM IN TRANSVeRSe dIAMeTeR, WITH AbOUT THRee POLYPS PeR 1 CM.

Distribution: THIS SPeCIeS HAS beeN RePORTed fROM THe NORTHWeSTeRN ATLANTIC, WeSTeRN PACIfIC, ANd INdIAN OCeANS, ANd SOUTH CHINA SeA, fROM dePTHS Of 1,900 M TO 8,460 M, ANd THIS STUdY eXPANdS THe dISTRIbUTION TO THe CORAL SeA, AUSTRALIA (FIgURe 1 C) AT 1,576 M (FIgURe 1 C), A RANge eXPANSION Of> 1,000 kM, ANd dePTH RANge eXPANSION Of 333 M. a Type specimen a Type specimen

Material examined: MTQ MATeRIAL (PReSeRVed IN eTHYL ALCOHOL): G 61837, G 61944, G 61951, ANd G 73230 (STATION dATA IN TAbLe 1).