A new soft coral species, Aquaumbra aranea sp. nov. (Octocorallia: Malacalcyonacea: Aquaumbridae), from Fiordland, Aotearoa (New Zealand).

We describe Aquaumbra araneasp. nov. Korfhage & Freiwald, a new species of soft coral discovered in Fiordland, Aotearoa (New Zealand). This new species represents an extension of this previously monotypic genus Aquaumbra Breedy, van Ofwegen & Vagas, 2012. The discovery expands the known morphological and geographic diversity of the genus and its family Aquaumbridae. Aquaumbra araneasp. nov. is morphologically distinguished from Aquaumbra klapferi Breedy, van Ofwegen & Vargas, 2012 and the sister genera Elbeenus Alderslade, 2002 by having a distinct sclerite composition and the presence of diverse sclerites. Its characteristic spider-web-like surface reticulation further differentiates it from the previously described species. Although mtMutS does not distinguish A. araneasp. nov. from A. klapferi, and 28S rDNA provides only limited resolution, this pattern is consistent with previous findings in Octocorallia, where commonly used markers often fail to discriminate closely related species due to low substitution rates and limited resolution. We therefore interpret the observed morphological differentiations as taxonomically significant and sufficient to justify species recognition. Our findings underscore the potential for additional biodiscovery in coastal habitats in the Southwest Pacific.