Stephen D. Cairns

Research Zoologist, Curator of Cnidaria, Invertebrate Zoology, Systematic Biology

National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
NHB W329 MRC 163
Washington, D.C. 20560-0163

Email: cairnss at si.edu

Research Interests

Systematics, zoogeography mineralogy, and phylogeny of Neogene to Recent Scleractinia (deep water and reef corals), Octocorallia and Stylasteridae (hydrocorals), worldwide.

Current Research Projects

I am currently studying the taxonomy and distribution of the deep-water octocorals of the western Atlantic. I have just concluded a manuscript on the deep-water octocorals of the eastern Pacific.

Current or Projected Exhibits

A revision of the genera of the deep-water octocoral family Primnoidae.

Recent Publications

Cairns, S. D. 2001. A generic revision and phylogenetic analysis of the Dendrophylliidae (Cnidaria: Scleractinia). Smith. Cont. Zool., 180 ms pp., 14 pls., 3 figs.

______. 2001. Studies on western Atlantic Octocorallia (Coelenterata: Anthozoa). Part 1. The genus Chrysogorgia. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 114(3): 746-787, 18 pl.

______. 2001. A brief history of taxonomic research on azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). Bull. Biol. Soc. Wash., 10: 191-203, 2 figs.

______, Hoeksema, B. W., and J. van der Land. 2001. Scleractinia. In: Costello, M. J., C. S. Emblow, and R. White (editors), European Register of Marine Species. A checklist of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Patrimoines naturels, 50: 109-110.

______. 2002 . A new species of Chrysogorgia (Anthozoa: Chrysogorgiidae) from the Antarctic. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 115(1): 217-222, 3 figs.

______, and R. E. Chapman. 2002. Biogeographic affinities of the North Atlantic deep-water Scleractinia. Pp. 30-57 In: Proc. First Internat. Symp. Deep-Sea Corals (J. H. M. Willison, et al., eds.), Ecology Action Centre and Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax.

_______, et al. 2002 Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Cnidaria and Ctenophora (second edition). Amer. Fish. Soc. Spec. Pub. 28: 115 pp., 32 color figures, 1 CD.

Amaral, F. D., M. K. Broadhurst, S. D. Cairns, & E. Schlenz. 2002. Skeletal morphometry of Millepora occurring in Brazil, including a previously undescribed species. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 115(3): 681-695, 6 figs.

Cairns, S. D., and F. M. Bayer. 2002. Studies on western Atlantic Octocorallia (Coelenterata: Anthozoa). Part 2: The genus Callogorgia Gray, 1858. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 115(4): 840-867, 11 figs.

Bayer, F. M. and S. D. Cairns 2003. A new genus of the scleraxonian family Coralliidae (Octocorallia: Gorgonacea). Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 116(1): 222-228, 2 figs.

Cairns, S. D, and F. M. Bayer. 2003. Studies on western Atlantic Octocorallia (Coelenterata: Anthozoa). Part 3: The genus Narella Gray, 1870. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 116(2): 42 ms pp., 12 pls.

Updated -12/27/07
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