title: Sinularia polydactyla (Ehrenberg, 1834) (Cnidaria, Octocorallia) re-examined, with the description of a new species.
abstract: Sinularia polydactyla (Ehrenberg, 1834) is re-described and a lectotype assigned. This led to examination of related material from various Indo-Pacific regions. Consequently, Sinularia levi sp. n. is described from Eilat, Israel (Gulf of Aqaba, northern Red Sea) and Sinularia compressa Tixier-Durivault, 1945 and Sinularia candidula Verseveldt and Benayahu, 1983 are synonymized with Sinularia polydactyla. Additional specimens identified in the literature as Sinularia polydactyla are provisionally reassigned to other taxa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Zoology, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Leen P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: van Ofwegen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: McFadden
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Yehuda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Benayahu
keywords: Alcyonacea; COI; Indo-Pacific; Red Sea; coral reefs; mtMutS; new species; phylogeny; re-description; taxonomy