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This paper discusses and illustrates the 23 primnoid species collected by the R/V Okeanos Explorer in the US marine protected areas in the central and western Pacific, ranging from the Musician Seamounts in the north to American Samoa to the south, and the northern Mariana Islands to the west (CAPSTONE expeditions, 2015-2017). In situ photographs are provided for most species.

Red tree coral (Primnoa pacifica), a keystone species forms large thickets, creating habitat for many associated species, including economically valuable fishes and crabs, and so are important benthic suspension feeders in this region.