|
Ho does it look like?
It is an arborescent colony with irregular branching and in a single plane, as if it were a fan. It presents an internal skeletal axis of horny type that is segregated by the individuals of the colony, which are the polyps. Polyps are small, with a maximal size of 10 millimeters, each one with 8 tentacles, pointed outward from the skeleton, which present cnidocytes (stinging cells that present a kind of hook inside that is triggered, by contact, injecting venom). There are more polyps at the ends, which is where the colony grows. It can reach up to 1 meter. The coloration can be completely red, sometimes also yellow. In some cases there can be a gradual transition which give the colony an orange tone.
Where does it live?
It lives on rocky and coralligenous bottoms, as well as on rocky walls or inside caves. In shady and rather cold areas, from 20 meters to 100 meters. It is fixed to the substratum and located in favor of the current. In favorable areas it can form wooded structures where there can be up to 20 colonies/m2.
How does it feed?
It feeds on plankton captured by the polyps, which are able to create a certain current with the movement of the tentacles.
How does it reproduce?
It can reproduce asexually (it does not need another individual) leading to the growth of the colony, or sexually through external fertilization, which consists in the expulsion of the gametes to the sea, where once fertilized a swimming larva develops, which at some stage will fall on a new substrate where it try to fix to rise a new colony.
Is a confusion possible?
It is a quite distinctive coral, but sometimes there could be a confusion with colonies of Alcyonium coralloides, which is soft and lives overgrowing the skeletons of dead gorgonians. Additionaly the polyps of A.coralloides are not exactly the same colour as the base where it grows out with withis parts. With P.clavata the polyps colour matches with the base they live on.
Curiosities
· To reach the maximum size they need to grow for 10-15 years, and can reach the age of 20 years.
· Due to the lack of natural or artificial light, they are likely to be violet or grayish in color, especially inside of caves.
· If they are taken out of the water they lose their color.
· In Atlantic areas they can be found even at temperatures as low as 4ºC.
· The fact of presenting cnidocytes is a unique characteristic of the Cnidaria, hence the general name of the group.
· Paramuricea clavata is currently in a clear regression due to various threats: the most important are the increased water temperatures in shallow depths around the whole Mediterranean, fueled by climate change. Other factors with less impact, but not negligible are divers, nets or boats who can brake the colonies; and finally sometimes certain predation can happen by gastropods such as Simnia spelta (which measures only 15mm) or Luria lurida.
Taxonomy
Phylum: Cnidaria, Subphylum: Anthozoa, Class: Octocorallia, Order: Malacalcyonacea, Family: Acanthogorgiidae, Genus: Paramuricea |
