New data on soft corals (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) from Nha Trang Bay, South China Sea

A new species of Eleutherobia is described, enlarging the Eleutherobia species group that lack sclerites in the anthocodiae. The Octocorallia of the South-China Sea are poorly known, and the data that is presented provides a new record of the genus for Vietnam. The original description of Sinularia manaarensis Verseveldt, 1980 was based on a single incomplete colony fragment collected in 1902 near Ceylon ( Verseveldt, 1980, Pl. 16, Fig. 3). Here we present data on both living and preserved S. manaarensis colonies that were found in Nha Trang Bay ( South China Sea) in 2006. The club-shaped surface sclerites with wide flattened handles are characteristic of the species. Images of live colonies are given along with a biogeographical discussion. S. arctium sp. nov., is also described. It has a remarkable assortment of sclerites, which includes both leptoclados-like clubs and warty clubs with a distinct central wart.