Revision of the Antipatharia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). Part II. Schizopathidae

The family of antipatharian corals, Schizopathidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Antipatharia), is revised. The family is characterized by polyps elongated in the direction of the axis and having a transverse diameter of 2 mm or more. Genera are recognized on the basis of morphological features of the corallum. Schizopathes Brook (type species: S. crassa Brook) has a simple, pinnate corallum with a hook-like holdfast for support in soft sediments. Bathypathes Brook (type species: B. patula Brook) is characterized by a simple pinnate corallum and a flat discoidal basal plate for attaching to a solid substrate. Parantipathes Brook (type species: Antipathes larix Esper) has a largely monopodial corallum with simple pinnules in six or more rows. Taxipathes Brook (type species: T. recta Brook) has a branched corallum and simple pinnules in four to eight rows. Lillipathes gen. nov. (type species: Antipathes lilliei Totton) has simple pinnules in four rows. Stauropathes gen. nov. (type species: S. staurocrada spec. nov.) is branched with simple, bilateral, subopposite pinnules. Abyssopathes gen. nov. (type species: Bathypathes lyra Brook) is monopodial with two rows of simple, lateral pinnules and one (sometimes multiple) row of simple or branched anterior pinnules. Dendrobathypathes gen. nov. (type species: D. grandis spec. nov.) has a branched, planar corallum with two rows of subpinnulated primary pinnules. Saropathes gen. nov. (type species: Bathypathes scoparia Totton) is monopodial to sparsely branched, with four rows of subpinnulated primary pinnules.