Dive with Violescent sea-whip Paramuricea clavata

Diving in conditions of poor visibility is not exactly the best, but reaching the bottom and being in the presence of the red Gorgonia, Paramuricea clavata, Violescent sea-whip repays for every effort and discomfort. Especially when you are surrounded by Gorgonians one meter high, one meter and a half practically everywhere at 360 °. Immersione tra le Gorgonie rosse Paramuricea clavata

Gorgonia rossa, Paramuricea clavata, Violescent sea-whip. Dive with Paramuricea clavata. intotheblue.it

Paramuricea clavata, red Gorgonia is considered an endangered species, the IUCN Red List classifies Paramuricea clavata as a vulnerable species.

In the past the colonies of red gorgonia were very numerous, today we are witnessing their decline throughout the Mediterranean, especially in surface waters as a result of the warming of the waters.

Other factors that threaten its survival are indiscriminate collection by divers, and the damage done by trawling. It is a very fragile and very slow growing species. By virtue of these characteristics it is considered a biological indicator of the balance of the marine ecosystem.

Gorgonia rossa, Paramuricea clavata, Violescent sea-whip. Dive with Paramuricea clavata. intotheblue.it

Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1826) is a Mediterranean sea fan of the Plexauridae family. It appears as an arborescent formation with dense dark red branches, which forms fans that can reach dimensions up to a meter in height. The terminal branches, claviform, are sometimes yellow. The skeleton is protein; the surface has calcareous spicules that act as a refuge for the retractile polyps.

Gorgonia rossa, Paramuricea clavata, Violescent sea-whip. Dive with Paramuricea clavata. intotheblue.it

The colonies take on the appearance of a real submerged forest, among whose branches a remarkable biodiversity develops, consisting of fish and invertebrates of all species. It is a typical species of the Mediterranean Sea where it populates the rocky bottoms usually deep from 25-30 up to over 100 meters, favoring the ravines hardly reached by light. It is in fact a sciaphilous species, that is a lover of penumbra.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramuricea_clavata

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramuricea_clavata

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