Family Gorgoniidae

Leptogorgia hebes Verrill, 1869

Leptogorgia hebes Verrill, 1869b:422.

Remarks. Leptogorgia hebes is a very common species in the shallow SAB and can be found on hardbottom or reef environments along with Titanideum frauenfeldii and Leptogorgia virgulata. The colonies reach moderate size and take on a fan-like form, pinnately branching in one plane. The calyces are hemispherical near the main branch and less distinct near the terminal ends of the twigs, and calyx opening is slit-like. There is often a distinct groove that runs down two sides of the slightly flattened branched. Terminal twigs are 1-2 mm, while branches near base may be up to 6 mm.
The sclerites are blunt capstans, up to 0.1 mm, and flattened serrated rods of approximately the same size. L. hebes is usually bright red, orange or dark yellow, but colonies of purple have been recorded (Bayer, 1961).
There are numerous lots of this species in the NMNH from the shallow SAB.

Atlantic distribution: Virginia to north Florida, 8-116 m; Gulf of Mexico, 0-37 m; Aruba, unknown depth; Brazil (unknown depth) (Deichmann, 1935; Bayer, 1961; NMNH collections; SERTC collection).

Figure 3. Sclerites of Leptogorgia hebes (S1863); a-c) spindles from coenenchyme; d,e) flat anthocodial rods (scale bar = 20 µm).

Figure 1. Leptogorgia hebes in situ.

Figure 2. Leptogorgia hebes in situ.

Figure 4. Stem and polyps of Leptogorgia hebes, live specimen.

Figure 5. Leptogorgia hebes colony (S430, preserved specimen), approximately 15 cm in height.