Sinuous sea fan

The sinuous sea fan (Eunicella tricoronata) is a species of gorgonian sea fan in the family Gorgoniidae.

Sinuous sea fan
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Order: Alcyonacea
Family: Gorgoniidae
Genus: Eunicella
Species:
E. tricoronata
Binomial name
Eunicella tricoronata
Velimirov, 1971[1]

Description

This fan is flattened and has curving branches which all tend to grow in the same plane. It may be mustard yellow to orange and when feeding the extended polyps give the fan a fuzzy appearance. It may grow up to 1m tall and have branches of 0.7 to 1 cm wide.[2]

Distribution

This sea fan is found only around the South African coast from the Cape Peninsula to East London in 9–36 m of water. It is endemic to this region.[3]

Ecology

This fan usually grows in deeper water, sheltered from wave action. It is preyed upon by the whip fan nudibranch, Tritonia nilsodhneri, which strongly resembles the feeding fan.[3]

References
  1. "Eunicella tricoronata Velimirov". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  2. Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. 2010. Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa ISBN 978-1-77007-772-0
  3. Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. ISBN 978-0-620-41639-9
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.