A new genus and species of soft coral (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea: Alcyoniidae) from Lord Howe Island, Australia

Lohowia koosi, a new species and new genus in the family Alcyoniidae, is described from Lord Howe Island, Australia. The new taxon has dimorphic polyps and a similar morphology to some of the flat, lobe-less nominal species of Lobophytum. The new taxon is clearly distinguished, however, by the possession of large, heavily armed autozooids, polypary surface sclerites in the form of large spindles that protrude through the surface, extremely large interior sclerites and base surface sclerites in the form of rods, spindles and ovals.