New species of Hexapathes Kinoshita, 1910 (Anthozoa, Antipatharia, Cladopathidae) from the South-West Pacific

Two new species of the genus Hexapathes Kinoshita, 1910 (Antipatharia, Cladopathidae, Hexapathinae), H. hivaensis n. sp. from Marquesas Islands and H. alis n. sp. from Fiji, are described. Both species were found on the slope at depths of 400-430 m. Hexapathes hivaensis n. sp. differs from the closely related H. heterosticha Kinoshita, 1910 by thicker, distinctly curved and denser arranged lateral pinnules and smaller polyps. Hexapathes alis n. sp. differs from the related H. australiensis Opresko, 2003 by the form of the colony and relative length of lateral pinnules. A brief review of the genus Hexapathes is given and the possibility of existence of dimorphic polyps in the genus Heliopathes Opresko, 2003 is discussed.