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Gorgonia bianca Eunicella verrucosa – intotheblue.it
Eunicella verrucosa Gorgonia Bianca pink warty gorgonian intotheblue.it
Eunicella verrucosa, the broad sea fan, pink sea fan or warty gorgonian, is a species of colonial Gorgonian “soft coral” in the Gorgoniidae family. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea.
Eunicella verrucosa has a densely branching, fan-like stem and usually grows in a single plane. It orientates itself at right angles to the direction of water movement and can grow to a height of 50 cm (20 in), although 25 cm (10 in) is a more usual size. Stems and branches are covered with wart-like growths from which the polyps protrude. The colour can vary from red, through pink to white.
Gorgonia bianca Eunicella verrucosa – intotheblue.it
Eunicella verrucosa is native to the northeastern Atlantic and the western Mediterranean Sea. Its range extends from the southwestern coasts of Britain and Ireland to France, Spain, Italy, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania. A recent study of genetic connectivity in Eunicella verrucosa identified marked population structure between samples from northwest Ireland, Britain, France and southern Portugal It is found growing on rock, timber, metal or concrete and its depth range is 4 to 50 metres . In British waters this sea fan has become scarcer, possibly being damaged by dredging but may benefit from higher seawater temperatures.
Eunicella verrucosa is usually orientated at right angles to the direction of water flow across the colony. The polyps expand and spread out their tentacles to feed. The nutrients are passed to other parts of the colony through the internal channels connecting the polyps.
(extract from Wikipedia)
Gorgonia bianca Eunicella verrucosa – intotheblue.it
Gorgonia bianca Eunicella verrucosa – intotheblue.it
Gorgonia bianca Eunicella verrucosa – intotheblue.it
Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals that do not produce calcium carbonate skeletons. Formerly known as gorgonians, they are sessil colonial cnidarians found throughout the oceans of the world, especially in the tropics and subtropics. Common names for subset of this order are sea fans and sea whips and are similar to the sea pen, a soft coral. Individual tiny polyps form colonies that are normally erect, flattened, branching, and reminiscent of a fan. Others may be whiplike, bushy, or even encrusting. A colony can be several feet high and across, but only a few inches thick. They may be brightly coloured, often purple, red, or yellow. Photosynthetic gorgonians can be successfully kept in captive aquaria.
About 500 different species of gorgonians are found in the oceans of the world, but they are particularly abundant in the shallow waters of the Western Atlantic, including Florida, Bermuda, and the West Indies.
The structure of a gorgonian colony varies. In the suborder Holaxonia, skeletons are formed from a flexible, horny substance called gorgonian. The suborder Scleraxonia species are supported by a skeleton of tightly grouped calcareous spicules. Also, some speciesh encrust like coral. Most of the
