FIRST RECORDS OF OCTOCORALLIA (CNIDARIA: ANTHOZOA) TO THE CAPE HORN BIOSPHERE RESERVE, MAGELLAN REGION, CHILE

Abstract

Information about benthic communities of the Magellan region is largely restricted to ecological studies undertaken in the intertidal boulder-cobble fields and subtidal soft bottoms (Guzmán & Ríos 1981, Ríos & Guzmán 1982, Benedetti-Cecchi & Cinelli 1997, Ríos & Gerdes 1997, Cañete et al. 1999, Gerdes & Montiel 1999, Ríos & Mutschke 1999, Thatje & Mutschke 1999, Ríos et al. 2003, Montiel 2005, Ríos et al. 2005). Despite the rocky bottoms in the shallow subtidal of the Magellan region are very common, data regarding of taxonomical composition and spatial - temporal distribution of benthic organisms are almost absent (Försterra et al. 2005). On the other hand, improvement in the taxonomic knowledge of benthic groups poorly understo- od such as sea anemones (Häussermann 2004, Häussermann & Försterra 2005, Häussermann 2006), hydrocorals (Häussermann & Försterra 2007) and ascidians (Sanamyan & Schories 2003) have been done. In this context, the inventory of the soft coral fauna (Octocorallia) from the Magellan region is based on a few records from the shallow waters (van Ofwegen et al. 2006, 2007). Nowadays, few species have been described for Chilean waters; Clavularia magelhaenica Studer, 1878, which belongs to the group of stoloniferous, was originally described from the Strait of Magellan and several species belonging to the genus Alcyonium such as Alcyonium antarcticum Wright & Studer, 1889, Alcyonium haddoni Wright & Studer, 1889, Alcyonium sollasi Wright & Studer, 1889, Alcyonium paessleri May, 1899 (synonymized with A. antarcticum by Verseveldt & van Ofwegen 1992) have been recorded. Recently, van Ofwegen et al. (2007) recognize eight different species of genus Alcyonium, half of them from the Magellan region and four new species found north of the Magellan region. Other soft corals described from Chilean waters include the species Renilla chilensis Philippi, 1892, and the recently described clavulariid Incrustatus comauensis van Ofwegen et al. 2006 (Riveros 1948, Verseveldt 1967, Verseveldt & van Ofwegen 1992, Casas et al. 1997, Pérez & Zamponi 1999, van Ofwegen et al. 2006).