Flabellum pavoninum

Flabellum pavoninum is a species of deep sea coral belonging to the family Flabellidae. It is found in the western Indo-Pacific Ocean at depths varying from 73 to 665 m (240 to 2,182 ft).[1] They are sometimes known as dentures of the sea because of the perceived resemblance of the corallum (skeleton) to a set of dentures.[2]

Flabellum pavoninum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Order: Scleractinia
Family: Flabellidae
Genus: Flabellum
Species:
F. pavoninum
Binomial name
Flabellum pavoninum
Lesson, 1831 [1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Flabellum distinctum Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848

Biology

Flabellum pavoninum is an azooxanthellate species of coral; this means that its tissues do not contain photosynthetic algae and it gains its nutrition solely from what it can catch with its tentacles from the surrounding water.[1]

References

  1. Cairns, Stephen (2010). "Flabellum (Flabellum) pavoninum Lesson, 1831". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  2. "Solitary coral Flabellum pavoninum". ABC News. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
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