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How does it look like?
It is a white coloured gorgonian (sometimes it can be slightly pink) which can grow up to 70 centimeters. It has flexible branches about 5 milimeters thick, which grow vertically and building a single straight surface. It has greenish or whitish polyps.
Where does it live?
It lives on the surface of rocks and detrital bottoms in dark areas at a depths around 15-30 meters, although it has been reported up to 56m. Its distribution is the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
How does it feed?
It feeds by capturing planktonic organisms thanks to its polyps. As soon as ther is some current, the polyps start opening at certain sections of the colony. Soon after all the other on the rest of the branches do the same.
How does it reproduce?
There are separate sexes and reproduction takes place through eggs that hatch into the environment, from which planktonic larvae are born.
Is a confusion possible?
Confusion is possible with Eunicella cavolini or Eunicella verrucosa, but their are differences in color and shape. Eunicella singularis has fairly straight branches and its thickness is fairly regular at all heights. To distinguish it from E.verrucosa it is only necessary to observe the polyps carefully. In E.verrucosa they arise from a promontory or wart, while in E.singularis they grow directly on the base of the branches of the colony. In the case of E.cavolinii its branches are much more round and never as straight as E.singularis.
Curiosities
· This gorgonian has also been known as Eunicella stricta.
· The polyps of this gorgonian are the food and laying place of several animal species, such as the nudibranch Candiella odhneri or the mollusk Simnia spelta. We can also find among its branches the shrimp Balssia gasti.
· If we observe greenish polyps, this indicates that zooxanthellae, symbiotic algae that provide supplementary nutrients to the colony, are housed inside.
· Among the various species of Mediterranean gorgonians, scientific studies have shown that Eunicella singularis is one of those that offer greater resistance and regeneration capacity in the face of rising sea temperatures. In spite of that, mortality rates have also been dramatic during the last years.
Taxonomy
Phylum: Cnidaria, Subphylum: Anthozoa, Class: Octocorallia, Order: Malacalcyonacea, Family: Eunicellidae, Genus: Eunicella |
