Redescription of antipathes aperta, totton, (Coelenterata: Antipatharia), an ecological dominant in the southern fiords of new zealand

Abstract

The ecological and potential economic importance of a large population of antipatharians in the southern fiords of New Zealand, combined with a very poor taxonomic appreciation and inadequate original descriptions of the order Antipatharia in New Zealand, has led to a redescription of the Fiordland species, Antipathes aperta, based on a large data set which shows considerable variability in “specific” characters within the population. Possible consequences of this variability are briefly discussed in relation to other species previously described from New Zealand waters. © 1988 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.