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Purple gorgonian
Paramuricea clavata
Distribution: Mediterranean and Atlantic from the Mediterranean, also seen off the coast of Senegal. Housing: live between 30 and 100 meters deep, fixed (sessile species) on rocky bottoms (benthic species) very inclined or drooping. Description: Animals multicellular (Eumétazoaires) colonial from an embryo 2 leaves the ectoderm and endoderm that will give the one hand and the outer wall of the other part to the internal wall digestive function body of individuals called polyps; they have the form of "double-walled bag" (former phylum coelenterates; Greek Koilos = hollow enteron = intestine). It forms large colonies, up to 30 cm high, fan, abundantly branched in one plane, yellow tint, orange, red or purple. The colony is supported by a skeletal axis horny surrounded by a thin living layer which house the retractable red polyps (0.6 cm deployed). Food: the range is oriented perpendicular to the current and to capture organic particles (dead or alive) in suspension and zooplankton. |
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Taxonomic classification
| Phylum: | Cnidarians | Class: | Anthozoaires | Sub class: | Octocoralliaires | To print in "PDF" format |
| Order: | Gorgonians | Sub order: | Scléraxoniés | Family: | Paramuriceidés | |
| Genious: | Paramuricea | Species: | clavata | Descriptor: | Risso, 1826 |  |