Heteropathes

Diagnosis. Corallum monopodial and pinnulate. Pinnules in two lateral rows and in one or more anterior rows. Lateral pinnules simple or with a small ramified subpinnule; anterior pinnules short, generally not longer than 1 cm, and subpinnulate. Polyps 5 to 6 mm in transverse diameter.

Remarks. The new species, described below, followed the original description by Opresko (2005) with the exception of some of the lateral pinnules presenting a ramified subpinnule similar to the anterior pinnules in all but its smaller size. Species assigned to Heteropathes. Included in the genus are H. americana Opresko (2003 b), H. heterorhodzos Cooper (1909), and H. pacifica Opresko (2005).

Distribution. Heteropathes americana is known to occur in the western Atlantic Ocean at 3563 and 4511 m depths, H. heterorhodzos (Cooper, 1909) (Opresko 2003 b) in the Indian Ocean at 1079 m depths and H. pacifica Opresko, 2005 in the north Pacific Ocean at 2200 m depths.