| Swiftia pallida | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Anthozoa |
| Order: | Alcyonacea |
| Family: | Plexauridae |
| Genus: | Swiftia |
| Species: | S. pallida |
| Binomial name | |
| Swiftia pallida Madsen, 1970 [1] | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Swiftia pallida is a species of gorgonian-type octocoral in the family Plexauridae sometimes known as the northern sea fan. At one time it was considered to be a subspecies of Swiftia rosea . [2]
Swiftia pallida usually has a single main stem arising from a narrow base and is sparsely branched. Its normal height is about 80 mm (3 in) but it can grow to 200 mm (8 in). The polyps are mostly arranged alternately, but somewhat irregularly, on either side of the stem and branches. Each polyp is supported by eight spindle-shaped sclerites, spiny skeletal elements, which run from the stem or branch to the bases of the eight tentacles. In the north of its range, this species is usually white or pale grey, but in the Mediterranean it may be pink or red. [2] This sea fan resembles pale varieties of the more common Swiftia rosea but is less bushy with fewer branches. [3]
Swiftia pallida is native to the northeast Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, [1] the Bay of Biscay, Madeira and Morocco. In the northern part of this range its depth range is between 15 and 60 metres (49 and 197 ft) but in the southern part it occurs in very deep water, [4] possibly as deep as 2,380 metres (7,810 ft). [5] This sea fan also occurs in deep water on the continental shelf off the Atlantic coast of North America. [6] It is found on rocks in tide-swept areas that are sheltered from excessive wave action. [7] It often occurs in areas where a layer of sediment covers the rocks, [3] or on large pebbles lying on a silty or broken shell seabed. [5]
The sea fan anemone ( Amphianthus dohrnii ) seems to live exclusively on sea fans. In the northern part of its range it is associated with Swiftia pallida, and in the southern part with the pink sea fan ( Eunicella verrucosa ). [5] The rate of growth of Swiftia pallida is unknown but may be similar to that of Eunicella verrucosa, about 1 cm (0.4 in) per year. [5]
Turritopsis dohrnii, also known as the immortal jellyfish, is a species of small, biologically immortal jellyfish found worldwide in temperate to tropic waters. It is one of the few known cases of animals capable of reverting completely to a sexually immature, colonial stage after having reached sexual maturity as a solitary individual. Others include the jellyfish Laodicea undulata and species of the genus Aurelia.
Eunicella verrucosa, the broad sea fan, pink sea fan or warty gorgonian, is a species of colonial Gorgonian "soft coral" in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea.
Phenacovolva rosea, also known as the rosy spindle cowry, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries. It lives and feeds on fan, whip and bush-type gorgonians.
Simnia spelta is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ovulidae, the ovulids, which are cowrie allies sometimes called "false cowries". It was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus.
Gorgoniidae is a family of soft corals, a member of the subclass Octocorallia in the phylum Cnidaria. Nearly all the genera and species are native to the east and west coasts of America.
Obelia longissima is a colonial species of hydrozoan in the order Leptomedusae. Its hydroid form grows as feathery stems resembling seaweed from a basal stolon. It is found in many temperate and cold seas world-wide but is absent from the tropics.
The nippled sea fan, is a species of gorgonian sea fan in the family Gorgoniidae.
The sinuous sea fan is a species of gorgonian sea fan in the family Gorgoniidae.
Pocillopora verrucosa, commonly known as cauliflower coral, rasp coral, or knob-horned coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Pocilloporidae. It is native to tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Swiftia is a genus of gorgonian-type octocorals in the family Plexauridae.
Swiftia rosea is a species of gorgonian-type octocoral in the family Plexauridae.
Amphianthus dohrnii, the sea fan anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Hormathiidae. It occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea and grows on sea fans.
Eunicella cavolini, commonly known as the yellow gorgonian or yellow sea whip, is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to parts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Ionian Sea where it is a common species.
Leptogorgia sarmentosa is a species of colonial soft coral, a sea fan in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea, with a single find in the eastern Mediterranean.
Alcyonium coralloides, commonly known as false coral, is a colonial species of soft coral in the family Alcyoniidae. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. In the former location it generally grows as sheets or small lobes but in the latter it is parasitic and overgrows sea fans.
Eunicella singularis, the white gorgonian, is a species of colonial soft coral, a sea fan in the family Gorgoniidae. It is found in the western Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea. It was first described in 1791 by the German naturalist Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper.
Astroides is a genus of stony cup corals in the family Dendrophylliidae. It is monotypic and the only species is Astroides calycularis, which is endemic to the western Mediterranean Sea. The species was first described in 1766 by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas.
Dipsastraea pallida is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It is found in tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This is a common species of coral with a widespread distribution, and the main threat it faces is from the destruction of its coral reef habitats. It is rated as a "least-concern species" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This species was first described in 1846 as Favia pallida by the American zoologist James Dwight Dana; it was later transferred to the genus Dipsastraea, but some authorities continue to use the original name.
The slender sea pen is a species of sea pen in the family Virgulariidae, occurring throughout the Mediterranean and Western Europe, with some colonies being found on islands in the Mid-Atlantic.