Stone pen in new genus Lithoptilum and sea pen in Anthoptilum, Calibelemnon removed

NEWS - Researchers report new analysis results that support the establishment of a new genus, Lithoptilum, to accommodate rock pens as a taxon close to Anthoptilum within the Anthoptilidae (Pennatuloidea) and require the deletion of the species Calibelemnon francei and the genus Calibelemnon within the Scleroptilidae.

Upasana Ganguly and Scott France of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette used a phylogenetic tree based on multilocus data and a single mitochondrial marker that showed all rock pens form a monophyletic clade within a larger clade representing the Anthoptilidae, deleting Calibelemnon (Scleroptilidae) and erecting the genus Lithoptilum.

Sea pens (Pennatuloidea) are a specialized group of octocorals that evolved to live anchored to the seafloor on soft sediments using their stalks as anchors, whereas rock-dwelling sea pens or rock pens use sucker-like stalks to attach to hard substrate surfaces, an adaptation previously unknown to sea pens.

Four species have now been identified as rock pens based on stalk morphology, three species within Anthoptilum and one within Calibelemnon. But this study found that the type specimen of Calibelemnon symmetricum (Nutting, 1908) is a colony with an elongated stalk, which is typical of soft-sediment sea pens, making the genus homogeneous.

Ganguly and France explored the geographic distribution and habitat depths using the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer and operated ROVs to record high-definition video to investigate the evolutionary origins of rock pens. They found thousands of colonies in the central Pacific Ocean at a depth of 450 meters. No such rock pen fields were observed in deeper waters.

Phylogenomic analyses were based on DNA sequences of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and compared with trees constructed using mitochondrial genes. The ancestors of sea pens evolved along a single lineage that is sister to the lineage comprising the genus Anthoptilum. All rock pen species should be grouped into a new genus within Anthoptilidae.

Mitochondrial gene sequence analysis shows that the rock pen has the same gene sequence as Anthoptilum grandiflorum and Anthoptilum murrayi in the Octocoral B gene sequence. The arrangement is different from all other sea pens but matches that of bamboo corals (Keratoisididae). Among the 7 species that have been described in Anthoptilidae, 6 species have the same gene sequence.

Original research

Upasana Ganguly & Scott C. France (2024). Expanded distribution and a new genus for rock-inhabiting sea pens (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Octocorallia, Pennatuloidea). Zootaxa, 5507 (1): 123-139, DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.5507.1.5

Crested blue ear (Cyanotis cristata)

Crested blue ear ( Cyanotis cristata ) is a species of plant in the Commelinaceae, a fleshy and strong herb, growing as a vine. Leaves 8 cm long, 2.5 cm wide, oblong, rounded or heart-shaped base, blunt or pointed tip, sparsely ciliated at the edge; sheath loose, up to 8 mm long, scaly. C. cristata has flowers 6-7 mm in diameter. Calyx tube 2 mm long, lobes 2-2.5 mm long, hairy. Corolla pale blue to purple, 6 mm long. Stamen filaments bearded, purple. Ovary rounded, hairy at the apex. Capsules 2-3 mm long, ovate. Seeds about 1 mm long, trigonous, 2 large holes on either side. This species grows in grasslands, degraded forest areas, wastelands, waterways and roadsides. C. cristata is found in wet rocky areas, moist soils, grasslands, ravines and riverbanks. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Liliopsida Order: Commelinales Family: Commelinaceae Subfamily: Commelinoideae Tribe: Tradescantieae Genus: Cyanotis Species: Cyanotis cristata

Black potato (Coleus rotundifolius)

Black potato ( Coleus rotundifolius ) is a species of plant in Lamiaceae, herbaceous, fibrous roots and tubers, erect and slightly creeping stems, quadrangular, thick, and slightly odorous. Single leaves, thick, membranous, opposite and alternate. Leaves are oval, dark green and shiny on the upper side, bright green on the lower side. Up to 5 cm long, up to 4 cm wide, slightly hairy and pinnate leaf veins. Leaf stalks up to 4 cm long. Small, purple flowers. Star-shaped petals, lip-shaped crown, dark to light purple with a slightly curved tube shape. Flowering from February-August. Small tubers, brown and white flesh and tuber length 2-4 cm. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Subfamily: Nepetoideae Tribe: Ocimeae Subtribe: Plectranthinae Genus: Coleus Species: Coleus rotundifolius

Durian (Durio zibethinus)

Durian ( Durio zibethinus ) is a species of tropical plant in Malvaceae, an annual tree, everlasting green but there are certain times to grow new leaves after the fruiting period is over, popularly called "king of fruit" and considered a controversial fruit where many people like, but some others are even fed up with the scent. D. zibethinus grows to 25-50 m, reddish brown bark and irregular peeling, leafy and stretched canopy. The leaves are oval shaped to lanceolate, 10-15x3-4.5 cm, sitting alternately, stemmed, taper or blunt base and taper-pointed sloping, bright green upper side, the lower side covered with silver or golden scales. Flowers and fruit Flowers appear directly on the trunk or old branches at the proximal, clustered in panicles containing 3-10 florets or flat-shaped florets. Rounded flower buds, 2 cm in diameter and long stem. Tubular petals, 3 cm long, additional petals split into 2-3 round lobes. Crown shaped spatula with a length of 2 times the ...

Dlium