Chrysogorgiidae

Chrysogorgiidae
Chrysogorgia sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Subphylum: Anthozoa
Class: Octocorallia
Order: Scleralcyonacea
Family: Chrysogorgiidae
Verrill, 1883
Synonyms
  • Dasygorgidae Studer, 1887
  • Malacogorgiidae Hickson, 1904

Chrysogorgiidae is a family of soft corals in the suborder Scleralcyonacea.[1] So far, the only fossil record for the family are specimens tentatively identified as Radicipes sp. from Oligocene deep-water strata in western Washington State, USA.

On the deep sea seamounts southwest of Hawaii, the Chrysogorgiidae are the most abundant family of corals.[2]


Genera

The following genera are recognised as members of family Chrysogorgiidae:[3][4]

  • Chrysogorgia Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864
  • Iridogorgia Verrill, 1883
  • Metallogorgia Versluys, 1902
  • Parachrysogorgia Xu, Zhan & Xu, 2023
  • Pseudochrysogorgia Pante & France, 2010
  • Radicipes Stearns, 1883
  • Ramuligorgia Cairns, Cordeiro & Xu in Cairns et al., 2021
  • Rhodaniridogorgia Watling, 2007

In addition, a number of other genera have been previously assigned to this family. A recent taxonomic revision based on phylogenomic analysis either found them not to belong to the family or couldn't place them because there was no suitable molecular data for analysis.[4]

  • Chalcogorgia Bayer, 1949
  • Distichogorgia Bayer, 1979
  • Flagelligorgia Cairns & Cordeiro, 2017
  • Helicogorgia Verrill, 1883
  • Pleurogorgia Versluys, 1902 (tentatively moved to Pleurogorgiidae)
  • Trichogorgia Hickson, 1904 (tentatively moved to Ifalukellidae)
  • Stephanogorgia Bayer & Muzik, 1976
  • Xenogorgia Bayer & Muzik, 1976

References

  1. ^ World List of Octocorallia. McFadden, C.S.; Cordeiro, R.; Samimi-Namin, K.; Williams, G.; van Ofwegen, L. (eds.). "Scleralcyonacea". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  2. ^ Parke, Michael; et al. (2021). Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology Program: Pacific Islands Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Initiative Final Report (PDF). NOAA.
  3. ^ World List of Octocorallia. McFadden, C.S.; Cordeiro, R.; Samimi-Namin, K.; Williams, G.; van Ofwegen, L. (eds.). "Chrysogorgiidae Verrill, 1883". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b McFadden, Catherine S.; Van Ofwegen, Leen P.; Quattrini, Andrea M. (2022). "Revisionary systematics of Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) guided by phylogenomics". Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists. 1 (3). doi:10.18061/bssb.v1i3.8735.
  • Bayer, F.M. and K.M. Muzik. 1976. New genera and species of the holaxonian family Chrysogorgiidae (Octocorallia: Gorgonacea). Zoologische Mededelingen (Leiden) 50: 65–90.
  • Goedert, J.L., L.S. Guthrie, and S. Kiel. 2022. Octocorals (Alcyonacea and Pennatulacea) from Paleogene deep-water strata in western Washington State, USA. Journal of Paleontology 96: 539–551.
  • Media related to Chrysogorgiidae at Wikimedia Commons
  • "Chrysogorgiidae". The Encyclopedia of Life.