An enigmatic new octocoral species (Anthozoa, Octocorallia, Malacalcyonacea) from Isla del Coco National Park

Abstract Aliena parva gen. nov. et sp. nov. is described from Cocos Island, Costa Rica. The species was found at various islets and rocky outcrops north and NW of the island, 20−30 m in depth. The genus is characterised by polyps retracting into low mounds forming thin encrusting mats extending on dead or live substrate. Sclerites are mostly asymmetrical spindles Anthocodial rods are arranged in points, not forming a collaret. Colonies and coenenchymal sclerites are red. Using an integrative taxonomic approach, we found the new genus to be different morphologically and genetically from all other described taxa. The molecular phylogenetic analyses provide strong support for the placement of this new genus in Order Malacalcyonacea, family Pterogorgiidae. Morphologically it is unlike any of the other members of this family, necessitating an amendment to the diagnosis of Pterogorgiidae. Like several other known taxa of octocorals with simple, encrusting growth forms, Aliena gen. nov. appears to have evolved from a gorgonian ancestor by loss of an internal skeletal axis. It is the first member of Pterogorgiidae to be reported from the eastern Pacific, contributing further to the knowledge of marine biodiversity in the eastern tropical Pacific and to the octocoral biodiversity of Cocos Island in particular.