Chrysogorgiidae

Chrysogorgiidae
Chrysogorgia sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Subphylum:	Anthozoa
Class:	Octocorallia
Order:	Scleralcyonacea
Family:	Chrysogorgiidae Verrill, 1883
Synonyms
Dasygorgidae Studer, 1887 Malacogorgiidae Hickson, 1904

Chrysogorgiidae is a family of soft corals in the suborder Scleralcyonacea. ^[1] So far, the only fossil record for the family are specimens tentatively identified as Radicipes sp. from Oligocene deep-water strata in western Washington State, USA.^{[ citation needed ]}

On the deep sea seamounts southwest of Hawaii, the Chrysogorgiidae are the most abundant family of corals. ^[2]

Genera

The following genera are recognised as members of family Chrysogorgiidae: ^{[3] [4]}

• Chrysogorgia Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864
• Iridogorgia Verrill, 1883
• Metallogorgia Versluys, 1902
• Parachrysogorgia Xu, Zhan & Xu, 2023
• Pseudochrysogorgia Pante & France, 2010
• Radicipes Stearns, 1883
• Ramuligorgia Cairns, Cordeiro & Xu in Cairns et al., 2021
• Rhodaniridogorgia Watling, 2007

In addition, a number of other genera have been previously assigned to this family. A recent taxonomic revision based on phylogenomic analysis either found them not to belong to the family or couldn't place them because there was no suitable molecular data for analysis. ^[4]

• Chalcogorgia Bayer, 1949
• Distichogorgia Bayer, 1979
• Flagelligorgia Cairns & Cordeiro, 2017
• Helicogorgia Verrill, 1883
• Pleurogorgia Versluys, 1902 (tentatively moved to Pleurogorgiidae)
• Trichogorgia Hickson, 1904 (tentatively moved to Ifalukellidae)
• Stephanogorgia Bayer & Muzik, 1976
• Xenogorgia Bayer & Muzik, 1976

References

1. World List of Octocorallia. McFadden, C.S.; Cordeiro, R.; Samimi-Namin, K.; Williams, G.; van Ofwegen, L. (eds.). "Scleralcyonacea". World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
2. Parke, Michael; et al. (2021). Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology Program: Pacific Islands Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Initiative Final Report (PDF). NOAA.
3. World List of Octocorallia. McFadden, C.S.; Cordeiro, R.; Samimi-Namin, K.; Williams, G.; van Ofwegen, L. (eds.). "Chrysogorgiidae Verrill, 1883". World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
4. McFadden, Catherine S.; Van Ofwegen, Leen P.; Quattrini, Andrea M. (2022). "Revisionary systematics of Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) guided by phylogenomics". Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists. 1 (3). doi: 10.18061/bssb.v1i3.8735 .

• Bayer, F.M. and K.M. Muzik. 1976. New genera and species of the holaxonian family Chrysogorgiidae (Octocorallia: Gorgonacea). Zoologische Mededelingen (Leiden) 50: 65–90.
• Goedert, J.L., L.S. Guthrie, and S. Kiel. 2022. Octocorals (Alcyonacea and Pennatulacea) from Paleogene deep-water strata in western Washington State, USA. Journal of Paleontology 96: 539–551.

External links

• Media related to Chrysogorgiidae at Wikimedia Commons
• "Chrysogorgiidae". The Encyclopedia of Life .