Balanopsammia wirtzi, a new genus and species of coral (Anthozoa: Scleractinia: Dendrophylliidae)) from the Cape Verde Islandsa comparative study with the Mediterranean Cladopsammia rolandi

Laburpena

A new genus and species of scleractinia belonging to Dendrophylliidae family recorded from Cape Verde is described in this paper. Balanopsammia wirtzi develop Portuales Plan in their septa from the juvenile to the adult stage and can grow solitary or forming colonies with densely calyces arrangement as well. In a first sight the species can be tentatively included into the genus Balanophyllia, but its colonial way of growing advices us to explore other possibilities. In the Cape Verde Archipelago, the new species had been previously confused with the mediterranean Balanophyllia italica. We recorded B. wirtzi from Sao Tiago ad Sal although its presence in the other islands is expected but not confirmed. It is intertidal in pools with good water movements and especially shallow waters species down till 1 m and widely spread in crevices and small cavities. It is conspicuous in upper part of vertical walls, particularly in shadow places among calcareous algae. The study of a cave in Eolie Islands at the Mediterranean make possible to include some data on a huge population of Cladopsammia rolandi growing on a ruff cave through the time as well as to compare the morphology and the cnidae of both Denrophylliidae studied.