Stony corals get the lion’s share of attention when corals are discussed in general, but you know we’ve got lots of love for theOctocoralsand we’re pleased to learn of a brand new genus in this group.Anastromvosis the new generic home for two new species of leather corals described from northwest Australia with a particularly capitate appearance.
Anastromvos catherinae&A. aldersladeiare the first two species in this genus which is most closely related toSarcophytonandLobophytumleather corals and are shaped more like toadstool mushrooms than our beloved ‘Sarcos’. The upper capitulum and lower stalk are strongly differentiated compared to the leather corals we’re used to with the stalk being more narrow and the top being kind of hard.
The new genus was discovered in on Ripple Shoals South of Barrow Island and Cape Voltaire, Kimberley, Western Australia so with several coral collectors operating in the vicinity of Darwin there’s a chance they might have already collected this coral for the aquarium hobby.
Unfortunately there are no living images of either of the new species ofAnastromvosso we’ll have to wait to see what this coralreallylooks like. Pictured in the lead image is a related speciesMalacacanthusfrom South Africa. There’s also no mention of whether these new leather corals are photosynthetic or not but sinceA. aldersladeiwas collected in 20 meters of water andA. catherinaewas found living intertidally in full sunlight wepresumethat there’s a good chance these are light loving soft corals. [CSIRO]
