Although zooxanthellate corals are well known for their ecophenotypic variations, there is increasing evidence that azooxanthellate species also harbour a high degree of plasticity. Desmophyllum dianthus, a widespread solitary coral, exhibits a high degree of morphological variation in corallum forms that has never been analysed quantitatively. To assess if the clear morphological variation of D. dianthus follows a specific pattern based on environmental (or others) variables, this study combines three different morphometric approaches: (1) classical linear external morphology, (2) use of three-dimensional coordinates landmarks, and (3) linear measurements and counts made of cnidocyst features. Comparative morphological characterization of D. dianthus specimens shows a pattern of intraspecific variation over a wide ecological and biogeographic range. However, additional future studies on this and other proposed cosmopolitan species, including a similar sampling effort in localities and specimens, will be useful to explore the existence of common global patterns of morphological variability. Hypotheses for intraspecific polymorphism are discussed to explain the incongruence between the obtained results and the seemingly high morphological variability observed within D. dianthus.

This research was supported by Spanish grants (CGL2011-23306 and CTM2014-57949-R) and EU CoCoNET- “Towards COast to COast NETworks of marine protected areas (from the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea-based wind energy potential”- from the VII FP of the European Commission. The Spanish projects REN2001-4920-E/ANT and CTM2005-07756-C02-02/MAR supported the participation in Sub-Antarctic and Mediterranean expeditions.

[ES] Este artículo es una adaptación del capítulo II de “Resultados” de la tesis doctoral: Sistemática y filogeografía del coral de profundidad Desmophyllum dianthus (Anthozoa, Hexacorallia): Indicios morfológicos y moleculares, de Anna Maria Addamo (2014), http://hdl.handle.net/10261/134194

[EN] This adaptation text reproduces chapter II of the dissertation “Results”: Systematics and phylogeography of the deep-sea coral Desmophyllum dianthus (Anthozoa, Hexacorallia): Morphological and molecular evidences, de Anna Maria Addamo (2014), http://hdl.handle.net/10261/134194

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