Four new genera of soft corals (Coelenterata: Octocorallia), with notes on the classification of some established taxa

Four new genera, Rhytisma, Klyxum and Skamnarium (family Alcyoniidae) and Sansibia (family Xeniidae), are proposed to accommodate a number of species wrongly assigned to some established genera. A large number of the species concerned have been previously included in the genus Alcyonium, and remarks are made concerning the heterogenous nature of that genus. The reassignment of Parerythropodium hicksoni Utinomi, 1972, to Erythropodium, Alcyonium gracillimum Kükenthal, 1906, to Scleronephthya, and Clavularia hamra to Briareum is also discussed, and the existence of Funginus Tixier-Durivault, 1987, as a replacement name for Fungulus Tixier-Durivault, 1970, is highlighted.