New Octocoral Family Specimens from Eastern Pacific Seamounts

Isla del Coco and Costa Rica Pacific margin seamounts are the source for specimens used to describe a new family of gorgonian octocorals. The dataset, authored by Andrea Quattrini and last updated in May 2026, includes genetic and morphological data collected via ROV SuBastian at depths of 360–529 meters. It supports a phylogenomic analysis using ultraconserved elements and exons to resolve deep evolutionary relationships.

Use Cases

• Phylogenetic placement of a new coral family based on genetic markers mtMutS, COI, and 28S rDNA.
• Comparative morphological analysis of gorgonian octocoral specimens from seamount habitats.
• Assessing incongruence between single-gene and multi-gene phylogenetic trees in deep-sea lineages.
• Studying biodiversity and novel taxa in the deep-sea environments of the tropical eastern Pacific.

Strengths

• Integrative taxonomic approach combining morphological and genetic evidence.
• Phylogenomic analysis based on hundreds of genes (ultraconserved elements and exons).
• Specimens collected from specific geological features at depths of 360–529 m.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Andrea Quattrini

Collection Method

Specimens collected via ROV SuBastian during two expeditions.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-12 11:01:34; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Seamounts off Isla del Coco and the Costa Rica Pacific margin.