Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL), Hawaii, USA
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Plumarella circumoperculum is an endemic deepwater gorgonia known from the Northeastern Hawaiiian Islands, here Brooks Banks, French Frigate Shoals, and Blank Bank.
Colonies of the gorgonian are uniplanar and wider than tall; the largest specimen (the holotype) was 21cm tall and 30 m wide, with a basal branching diameter of 11 mm. The branching is ochre alternate pinnate, and the branches are slightly needle-like at the points of origin of the branches.
Polyps of Plumarella circumoperculum are short (0.8-1.2 mm long), they alternate on both sides of branches and branchlets and are directed upwards...,
Plumarella circumoperculum exhibits characteristics of two other gorgonian genera both Amphilaphis (now Thouarella) and Plumarella, which explains why Nutting (1908) placed it in the former genus and Grigg and Bayer (1976) placed it in the latter.
Etymology: The gorgonian was named after its characteristic "circum" operculum
Colonies of the gorgonian are uniplanar and wider than tall; the largest specimen (the holotype) was 21cm tall and 30 m wide, with a basal branching diameter of 11 mm. The branching is ochre alternate pinnate, and the branches are slightly needle-like at the points of origin of the branches.
Polyps of Plumarella circumoperculum are short (0.8-1.2 mm long), they alternate on both sides of branches and branchlets and are directed upwards...,
Plumarella circumoperculum exhibits characteristics of two other gorgonian genera both Amphilaphis (now Thouarella) and Plumarella, which explains why Nutting (1908) placed it in the former genus and Grigg and Bayer (1976) placed it in the latter.
Etymology: The gorgonian was named after its characteristic "circum" operculum
