Stauropathes Opresko 2002

GenusStauropathesOpresko, 2002 Diagnosis (emended from Opresko 2002). Corallum monopodial, unbranched or branched and pinnulate to the first order. Pinnules in two lateral or anterolateral rows and arranged in subopposite pairs. Spines smooth, triangular, and laterally compressed. Polyps 3–9 mm in transverse diameter. Type species. Stauropathes staurocrada Opresko, 2002 (by original designation). Type locality. North-central Pacific Ocean. Remarks. This study demonstrates that the unbranched corallum with bilateral and subopposite pinnules is polyphyletic, occurring in the genera Bathypathes and Stauropathes, warranting emendation to the generic diagnosis for Stauropathes. Further, the two genera do not form monophyletic groups, where Stauropathes spp. (CMNI 2023-0258, USNM 1404493, and USNM 1424220) fall into the clade that consists of a majority of Bathypathes, while Bathypathes alaskensis Opresko & Molodtsova, 2021 (USNM 1013749) falls into the clade that consists of a majority of Stauropathes. Another finding of this study is that Telopathes is not polyphyletic, contradicting Cruz et al. (2024); however, additional sequence data from these three genera may suggest more complicated relationships, possibly fueled by hybridization and / or introgression, which has yet to be formally tested for any species in the order.