Kotatea kapotaiora Kessel & Alderslade & Bilewitch & Schnabel & Norman & Potts & Gardner 2022, gen. et sp. nov.

Kotatea kapotaiora gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 7816DF77-E0C6-4237-8CF9-F5CF95D028A8

Figs 1B–C, 2C, 12–13, 14C

Māori name

Kapo Taiora.

Diagnosis

Colonies laterally compressed with branching lobes, white with white polyps. Collaret and points colourless, composed of warty spindles and clubs, and some irregular, flattened, branched forms. Tentacles contain irregular, warty, scale-like sclerites. Polyp neck contains warty rod- and spindle-like sclerites. Polyp mounds also contain similar forms, as well as thorny and leafy clubs. Lobe surface contains similar clubs and spiny radiates, with the latter also found in the base surface. Lobe and base interior contains distinct, irregular radiates with a few, thin, thorny, branched processes.

Etymology

The species name was composed by the Ngāti Kurī Tira Me Te Wā Taiao (Science) Collective, and is a combination of the Māori words kapo, to grasp, tai, the sea or tide, and taiora, nutrients. Ngāti Kurī provided the following kōrero (narrative): “Clasping the sea, grabbing a hold of the ocean currents to ingest the life sustaining nutrients from its waters. Kapo Taiora shows strength and courage to withstand the ever-changing surges of different currents, He punga tū moana (the coral that stands steadfast in the face of all adversity). We need to stand up and grasp the deep tides of new knowledge presented to us by the natural world. Such tenacity also reminds us that our ancient knowledge from the peoples of the Pacific is never lost. We must allow the currents of creative thinking to surge forth and inspire our whānau (family) to seek knowledge and the truth of our science and of our world. Kapo Taiora inspires us all to bring to reality all yet to be discovered knowledge. Our ancient saying: ‘ Te au ō te moana ō naianei, nō onamataa.’ The ocean currents of today are from the ancient world.”

Material examined

Holotype NEW ZEALAND • Northland, ~ 12 km NW of North Cape; 34.3570° S, 172.8850° E; depth 69 m; 29 Jan. 1999; NIWA exped.; stn Z9712 (KAH9901 /88); NIWA 3974.

Paratype NEW ZEALAND • 1 specimen; same collection data as for holotype; AK 73620.

Additional material

NEW ZEALAND • 1 specimen; Auckland, ~ 5 km E of Te Arai Point, Jellicoe Channel; 36.1580° S, 174.7100° E; depth 46 m; 22Nov. 2020; NIWA exped.; stn KAH2006 /13; NIWA 155300.

Description (holotype, NIWA 3974)

Colony form

The holotype consists of a white (ethanol-preserved), lobate colony (Fig. 14C), which is laterally compressed. Being roughly twice as wide as it is deep, it measures 15 cm in height by 8 cm width by 3.5 cm depth. Lobes emerge from a thick stalk, which is up to ~ 6 cm in height, and these branch into slender, finger-like lobes and small lobules. Polyps grow relatively uniformly over most of the colony but are absent from a short section of the base. Polyps are white, 0.5–1.5 mm tall when expanded, with colourless collaret and points (Fig. 2C).

Sclerites

Points are composed of warty spindles (~ 0.18–0.25 mm long), as well as clubs distally (~ 0.1–0.28 mm long) (Fig. 12A–B). Proximally, the spindles transition into a transverse orientation and merge with the collaret, which is four to seven rows deep and composed of larger, usually curved, often flattened and sometimes irregular or branched sclerites (~ 0.2–0.4 mm long) (Figs 12A, 13C). The tentacles contain irregular, warty, scale-like forms that are often slightly curved and branched (~ 0.1–0.25 mm long) (Fig. 12C). The polyp neck contains warty rod- and spindle-like forms (~ 0.1–0.2 mm long) (Fig. 12D). Warty rod-like forms are also abundant in polyp mounds (~ 0.06–0.1 mm long), where they gradually blend into thorny and leafy clubs (~ 0.06–0.12 mm long) (Fig. 12E). The surface of the lobes contains similar but more ornate clubs, as well as spiny radiates (~ 0.04–0.16 mm long) (Fig. 12F). In the interior of the lobes, irregular radiates with few, thin, thorny, branched processes predominate (~ 0.05–0.15 mm long) (Fig. 12G). The surface of the base lacks clubs but contains similar thorny radiates to the surface of the lobes, although here these are generally smaller (~ 0.05–0.12 mm long) (Fig. 13A). The interior of the base contains thorny radiates similar to those in the lobe interior along with smaller spiny forms (~ 0.06–0.12 mm long) (Fig. 13B).

Variability

The more recently collected NIWA 155300 is smaller and slightly more brownish in colour than the plain white holotype and paratype. Otherwise, all three specimens are very similar in growth form (Fig. 14C) and both the paratype and NIWA 155300 correspond very closely to the holotype in sclerite composition and size ranges (Figs 12–13).

Comparisons

Specimens of Kotatea kapotaiora gen. et sp. nov. are highly distinctive in appearance, forming large, white, laterally compressed colonies with slender lobes and a prominent stalk, and are unlikely to be confused for any other congeneric species. Additionally, K. kapotaiora can easily be differentiated from the rest of the genus by its characteristic, abundant interior radiates with few, thin, thorny branching processes (Figs 12G, 13B).

Habitat and distribution

The holotype and paratype, collected at 69 m north of North Cape, and one other colony, collected at a depth of 46 m near Te Arai Point, are the only known specimens of K. kapotaiora gen. et sp. nov. (Fig. 1B–C). None of the specimens are accompanied by habitat notes, but NIWA 155300 is attached to a large rock fragment heavily encrusted with bleached coralline algae (not shown in Fig. 14C). Kotatea kapotaiora and K. teorowai gen. et sp. nov. can occur syntopically, as the holotypes for both species were collected together in the same sample.

Remarks

Grange et al. (2010) illustrate a large (up to 30 cm), white, digitate soft coral from Fiordland that, at least superficially, resembles K. kapotaiora gen. et sp. nov. That form is noted as rare and found at depths of 40– 100 m. Since no specimens matching that description were available for examination, it remains unclear whether these observations represent K. kapotaiora living much further south than can currently be confirmed, or a separate species.