A New Record for Leptopenus, a Rare Deep-water Coral

AMONG the rarest of the deep-water corals are specimens of Leptopenus (family Micrabaciidae). At present the only records of this delicate coral I have verified are those of the Challenger Expedition1, which took 5 specimens from 4 localities, all from depths in excess of 2,700 m. Reported occurrences of the genus off the South Australian coast2 are probably incorrect and are more possibly worn specimens of Letepsammia, another micrabaciid coral. The Verco Collection examined by Dennant cannot now be located (F. McNeill, in lit.), but specimens of Letepsammia have been taken from South Australia in comparable depths3.