Dr. Leopoldo Moro Abad, Kanarische Inseln
Info
The photo of the Canary fan coral (Villogorgia bebrycoides) was kindly provided by Dr. Leopoldo Moro Abad.
The coral was caught in a professional fishing net and was brought aboard the fishing vessel.
Villogorgia bebrycoides is found on underwater mountains and knolls around La Palma and Tenerife at depths greater than 200 meters and in the Gulf of Naples in so-called gorgonian gardens.
However, specimens have also been found on bottoms with fossil shells and muddy bottoms with oysters.
Deep-water gorgonians are very often colonized by different invertebrates, so the copepod Orecturus canariensis associates with Villogorgia bebrycoides.
The colonies of V. bebrycoides hosted a rich associated fauna, including both mobile and sedentary species.
They include the bivalve Pteria hirundo (Linne ́,1758), the syllids Grubeosyllis limbata (Clapare'de,1868), Eusyllis lamelligera Marion & Bobretzki,1875, Haplosyllis villogorgicola Martin, Nun ̃ ez, Riera & Gil, 2002, the amphipod Caprella aequilibra Say, 1818, and several harpacticoid copepods (Martin et al. 2002).
There are no records of the presence of Orecturus in Mediterranean populations of V. bebrycoides , although the presence of this symbiont is
is also possible.
Synonyms:
Acamptogorgia bebrycoides (von Koch, 1887)
Muricea bebrycoides von Koch, 1887
Paracamptogorgia bebrycoides (von Koch, 1887)
The coral was caught in a professional fishing net and was brought aboard the fishing vessel.
Villogorgia bebrycoides is found on underwater mountains and knolls around La Palma and Tenerife at depths greater than 200 meters and in the Gulf of Naples in so-called gorgonian gardens.
However, specimens have also been found on bottoms with fossil shells and muddy bottoms with oysters.
Deep-water gorgonians are very often colonized by different invertebrates, so the copepod Orecturus canariensis associates with Villogorgia bebrycoides.
The colonies of V. bebrycoides hosted a rich associated fauna, including both mobile and sedentary species.
They include the bivalve Pteria hirundo (Linne ́,1758), the syllids Grubeosyllis limbata (Clapare'de,1868), Eusyllis lamelligera Marion & Bobretzki,1875, Haplosyllis villogorgicola Martin, Nun ̃ ez, Riera & Gil, 2002, the amphipod Caprella aequilibra Say, 1818, and several harpacticoid copepods (Martin et al. 2002).
There are no records of the presence of Orecturus in Mediterranean populations of V. bebrycoides , although the presence of this symbiont is
is also possible.
Synonyms:
Acamptogorgia bebrycoides (von Koch, 1887)
Muricea bebrycoides von Koch, 1887
Paracamptogorgia bebrycoides (von Koch, 1887)
