75 Caribbean Journal of Science, Vol. 33, No. 1–2, 75–81, 1997 Copyright 1997 College of Arts and Sciences University of Puerto Rico, Mayagu ¨ ez A New Species of Antipatharian Coral (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) from the Caribbean Coast of Colombia DENNIS M. OPRESKO 1 AND JUAN A. SA ´ NCHEZ 2,3 1 Health Sciences Research Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1060 Commerce Park (107), Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 2 Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras–INVEMAR, AA 1016, Santa Marta, Colombia ABSTRACT.—A new species of black coral, Aphanipathes colombiana (Cnidaria:Antipatharia) from the Ca- ribbean coast of Colombia is described. The species forms small flabellate colonies with anisomorphic po- lypar spines. It is morphologically similar to the western Atlantic species A. thyoides (Pourtales) but its hypostomal polypar spines are not reduced in size. The new species also resembles the Indo-Pacific species A. reticulata van Pesch but it has smooth-surfaced polypar spines, whereas in A. reticulata these spines have small tubercles on their surface. RESUMEN.—Se describe una nueva especie de coral negro, Aphanipathes colombiana (Cnidaria: Antipathar- ia), de la costa del Caribe de Colombia. Esta especie forma colonias flabeladas pequen ˜ as y con espinas polipares anisomorfas. Es morfolo ´gicamente similar a A. thyoides (Pourtales), una especie del Atla ´ntico Oc- cidental, pero sus espinas polipares hipostomales no esta ´n reducidas en taman ˜o. La especie nueva tambie ´n se asemeja a la especie Indopacı ´fica A. reticulata van Pesch, pero sus espinas polipares tienen la superficie lisa, mientras que las de A. reticulata tienen pequen ˜ os tube ´rculos sobre la superficie. INTRODUCTION Coral reefs along the Caribbean coast of Colombia contain a rich diversity of antho- zoan coelenterates. This is particularly true for the Rosario Archipelago, which is cur- rently maintained by the Colombian gov- ernment as a National Park. In the past few years the second author has surveyed the coral communities off Isla del Tesoro, one of the small sandy cays located in the ar- chipelago, and nearby deeper bank reefs (see Ortiz and Sa ´nchez, 1992; Sa ´nchez, in press). During these surveys numerous an- tipatharian corals were collected, including several small colonies that upon closer ex- amination were found to represent an un- described species. The same species was also collected by the second author off Ba- hı ´a de Granate and Punta de Betin, Santa Marta, Colombia. The holotype and three paratypes of the new species have been de- posited in the National Museum of Natural History (USNM), Smithsonian Institution, 3 Present address: Universidad Nacional de Colom- bia, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, AA. 7495, Santafe ´ de Bogota ´ D.C., Colombia. Washington, D.C. One paratype is deposit- ed in the collections of the Instituto de In- vestigaciones Marinas y Costeras (INVE- MAR), in Santa Marta, Colombia, and two are in the collections of the Museo de His- toria Natural, Instituto de Ciencias Natura- les (ICN-MHN), Universidad Nacional, Santafe ´ de Bogota ´, Colombia. Aphanipathes colombiana sp. nov. (Figs. 1–2) Holotype.—Colombia, Santa Marta, Bahı ´a de Granate, 20 m, J. Sa ´nchez, July 31, 1995, USNM 96512 (in alcohol). Paratypes.—Colombia, Islas del Rosario, off Isla del Tesoro, 60 m., J. Sa ´nchez, Nov. 4, 1992, USNM 94390.—Colombia, Islas del Rosario, off Isla del Tesoro, 45 m., K. Dun- lap, August 2, 1980, USNM 92983.—Colom- bia, Islas del Rosario, off Isla del Tesoro, 60 m., J. Sa ´nchez, April 11, 1992, INVEMAR 295.—Colombia, Punta de Betin, off Santa Marta Bay, 22 m., J. Sa ´nchez, December 26, 1995, USNM 96583.—Colombia, Punta de Betin, off Santa Marta Bay, 18 m., J. Sa ´n- chez, January 6, 1996, ICN-MHN-CO-066 and ICN-MHN-CO-067.