Distribution patterns of the genus Pacifigorgia (Octocorallia: Gorgoniidae): track compatibility analysis and parsimony analysis of endemicity

Gorgonian octocorals (order Alcyonacea) are the most abundant components of shallow eastern Pacific marine communities (Breedy & Guzman, 2003a). They occur mainly in zones of strong current swell and breaking surf, attached to rocky bottoms, shells, and small rock fragments (Breedy & Guzman, 2002). Although abundant, the eastern Pacific octocoral fauna was considered poorly known by Bayer (1981) and is currently under extensive revision. To date, eleven genera in four families have been reported (Breedy & Guzman, 2003a); of these, Pacifigorgia Bayer, 1951 is one of the most diverse and Museo de Zoologia, Escuela de Biologı́a, Universidad de Costa Rica, P.O. Box 19622100, San José, Costa Rica, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 2072, Balboa, Panamá