Incorrect taxonomy confounds future interpretation of ecological data: Comment on Morgulis et al. (2022)

Morgulis et al. (2022; Mar Ecol Prog Ser 688:33-47) published an article on the trophic ecology of Antipathes griggi and Stichopathes spp. from mesophotic reefs of the northern Red Sea. The paper concluded that these black corals occupy a high trophic position in mesophotic reefs based on their amino acids(AA)-compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) carbon signatures. However, these black corals were misidentified. While the overall conclusions presented by Morgulis et al. (2022) are valid, we argue that accurate species identification is imperative for future use of biogeographic and ecological data presented in their article.