Leptogorgia mutabilis (Breedy, Williams & Guzman 2013)

Holotype 30 cm tall, and 47 cm wide; colony broad, flabellate, very flexible. Branching irregularly pinnate. Main stem 6 mm diameter, laterally flattened, and short, 14 mm long. Holdfast oval, 40 mm diameter without polyps. Main stem subdividing in 5 sinuous main branches. Main branches slightly flattened on plane of colony, 3–4 mm in diameter emerging at angles of about 45°, bifurcating and diverging producing five flat pinnate fronds of long pinnate branchlets (Fig. 4A–B). Pinnae short, up to 8 mm long, and 1.5–2 mm diameter including polyp-mounds, close together 1–3 mm apart. Branching up to 7 times. Unbranched terminal twigs blunt, and reach up to 8 mm long (Fig. 4A–B). Longitudinal grooves distinct along branches and pinnate branchlets, evident in living and preserved specimens. Polyps white (Fig. 4B). Polyp-mounds prominent, up to 0.7 mm height and 0.8 mm in diameter, arranged mostly in lateral rows along the branchlets and separated by the longitudinal grooves, and more sparsely and irregularly distributed along the thicker branches (Fig. 4B). Colony white to pale pink when alive, gray to dark grayish in ethanol/dry preservation (Fig. 4A). Change in color very conspicuous possibly by liberation of black pigments after collection. Sclerites of coenenchyme white. Sclerite discs conspicuous mostly sharp, serrated and prominent (Fig. 4C, 5A–B). Disc-spindles 0.08–0.12 mm long, and up to 0.06 wide with 4–5 whorls of discs (Fig. 5B); spindles and disc-spindles, longer and thinner up to 0.15 mm long and 0.05 mm wide, with 5–7 whorls of warty tubercles, the ends acute, blunt, or both (Fig. 5A). Double discs up to 0.08 mm long, and 0.05 mm wide with prominent discs (Fig. 5B), some almost complete (Fig. 5B). No crosses, capstans or anthocodial sclerites present in samples.

Records from Costa Rica, México and Panamá suggest a wide distribution, at least from Mexico to Panamá, but this has to be further explored. The deepest record in Panama is 35 m, in Costa Rica 25 m, and in Mexico 50 m. Thus, the occurrence of this species from 11 to 50 m deep also suggests a large bathymetric range of distribution.