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| Paraplexaura binyuani You, Xia & Liu, 2026. |
Abstract
A new shallow-water gorgonian coral species in the family Acanthogorgiidae, Paraplexaura binyuani sp. nov., is described from a specimen collected at Huaguang Atoll in the South China Sea at a depth of 22 m. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by abundant polyp sclerites, predominantly flattened rods, and by the coenenchyme bearing numerous large spindles reaching up to 0.6 mm in length, which are approximately two to three times longer than those reported for most described species of Paraplexaura. Phylogenomic analyses based on ultraconserved elements (UCEs) recover Paraplexaura as monophyletic and place P. binyuani sp. nov. as sister to P. cryptotheca, consistent with its morphological distinctiveness and supporting its recognition as a separate species.
Keywords: Malacalcyonacea; shallow-water coral; taxonomy; morphology; ultraconserved elements
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| The external morphology and polyps of Paraplexaura binyuani sp. nov. Holotype, GXTCMU-2025-HT005. (A,C) in situ; (B) After collection; (D) Frontal view of a branch; (E) Polyps under SEM. Scale bars indicate 1 cm in (B), 5 mm in (D), 100 μm in (E). |
Paraplexaura binyuani sp. nov.
Etymology. The new species is named after Dr. Binyuan He, principal investigator of the Guangxi Academy of Oceanography, and for his great contribution to benthos research of Guangxi. The Chinese name of the new species is “斌源似丛柳珊瑚”
Distribution and habitat. Known only from the subtidal zone of the Huaguang Atoll on the Chinese coast of the South China Sea with a water depth of 22 m. Colony attached to a rocky substrate.
Li You, Fei Xia and Xinming Liu. 2026. A New Gorgonian Paraplexaura binyuani sp. nov. (Cnidaria, Octocorallia, Acanthogorgiidae) from the Huaguang Atoll, Xisha Islands, South China Sea. Diversity. 18(3), 166. DOI: doi.org/10.3390/d18030166 [9 March 2026]