Table A1.

Contrasts and comparisons of key “red whip” species and/or species of the genus Swiftia, as represented in SBMNH collection.

Red Whip species	Location, S to N	Location Depth	Colony Branching	Colony Color	Polyp Spacing	Polyp Height	Sclerite Color	Sclerite Form	Sclerite Size
Leptogorgia flexilis	Magdalena Bay, Baja to San Diego, CA	11 meters to ?	Thin, drooping branches; highly branched colony	Red/pink to tan/beige Polyps white to very pale orange	No more than 1 mm	No more than 1 mm	Bright Salmon	Spindles & Capstans	.03–.09 mm
Leptogorgia chilensis	N of Magdalena Bay to Santa Cruz Is., CA	Approx. 15–80 m	Thin branches; moderately branched	Orange-red Polyps white	1 mm	Generally, almost flush	Bright Salmon	Spindles & Capstans	.03-.05 mm
Red Whip (?”Transitional/Regional Endemic”)	San Diego, CA to off Oregon coast	?20–2,000 meters	Moderate thickness to branches; slightly branched to not branched	Orange-red Polyps white	Varies from 1 to 2 mm	Generally, from flush to nearly 1 mm; rarely taller	Salmon	Spindles & Dbl. Spinds.	Approx. 0.1 mm
Red Whip (?”Transitional/Regional Endemic”)	San Diego, CA to off Oregon coast; possible extension to WA coast	Approx. 12–150 m	Moderately thin branches, whip-like; slightly branched	Orange-red Polyps white (?pale pink)	Varies from 1 to 2 mm	Generally, consistently flush, rarely taller; on some, prominent	Salmon	Spindles & Dbl. Spinds.	Approx. 0.1 mm
“?Swiftia Transitional/ Regional species”	N Los Angeles County to Point Conception	Approx. 104–173 m	Single branches; also slightly branched (if so, dichotomous)	Bright red to salmon-pink Polyps white	Less than 1 mm	Approx. 1 mm	Salmon	Spindles; very few Capstans, Dbl. Spinds. or Rods	From 0.04 mm to nearly +.16 mm
Swiftia simplex	N Los Angeles County to Alaska	200–900 m	Single branches; sometimes slightly branched	Pinkish-red (Brick-red) Polyps pinkish-red	No more than 2 mm	Approx. 1 mm	Pinkish-red (Brick color) Rods orange	Spindles, Capstans, Rods and Dbl. Spinds.	.1–.3 mm
Chromoplexaura marki	Point Conception to Cape Mendocino, CA (?further north to WA state, on to Alaska)	20–60 m; possibly deeper (to 600 m)	Single branches; sometimes slightly to moderately branched	Bright red, orange, even pinkish Polyps white or colored	2 mm	Nearly flush to 2 mm	Salmon to reddish	Spindles, Capstans, Ovals and Dbl. Spinds; NO Rods	0.05 mm to ≅ 0.2 mm
Swifita spauldingi	Monterey Bay, CA to off Washington coast (?further north to Alaska)	40 to at least 300 m	Moderate branch thickness; branched to some degree	Orange-red Polyps white or very pale pink	about 1 mm	Nearly flush to often very conspicuous, rounded	Salmon to pinkish- orange; some yellow; Rods orange	Spindles, Capstans, Rods and Dbl. Spinds.	About 0.1 mm

Polyp Height: includes both calyx and actual polyp.