Paragorgia arborea

Paragorgia arborea
Paragorgia arborea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Anthozoa
Subclass:	Hexacorallia
Order:	Alcyonacea
Family:	Paragorgiidae
Species:	P. arborea
Binomial name
Paragorgia arborea (Linnaeus, 1758) [1]

Paragorgia arborea is a species of coral in the family Paragorgiidae, commonly known as the bubblegum coral. It grows in depths between 200 metres (660 ft) and 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) at temperatures between 2 °C (36 °F) and 8 °C (46 °F).^[2][3] It is found widespread in the northern Atlantic Ocean including on seamounts and knolls, and was first described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758.^[1]

Description

Paragorgia arborea can grow to heights of 6 metres (20 ft), and are brightly coloured white, pink, red or orange, in a branching, fan-shaped structure with a tough central trunk and many branches. The branch tips are bulbous giving this octocoral its common name of bubblegum coral.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

Paragorgia arborea is well established in the North Atlantic Ocean where it generally grows at depths between 200 and 1,300 metres (700 and 4,300 ft). It occurs along the entire Norwegian coast, and at depths of 40 metres (130 ft) in Norwegian fjords, especially those with poor visibility and abundant planktonic life.^[3] It often grows on reefs created by the stony coral Lophelia pertusa. Like other gorgonians, it prefers exposed locations with strong currents.^[4] In the western Atlantic, it occurs in Nova Scotia waters including Oceanographer Canyon, off George's Bank, the Grand Banks, Davis Strait, and southern Greenland.^[1]

Ecology

Paragorgia arborea is often associated with the Gorgon's Head basket star Gorgonocephalus caputmedusae which uses it as a perch on which to catch plankton drifting past.^[4] It sometimes forms denge underwater forests with such octocorals as Primnoa resedaeformis, Paramuricea grandis and Keratoisis ornata and the sea pen Pennatula borealis.^[5]

References

Corals and coral reefs
Stony corals	Scleractinia Blue coral Brain coral Elkhorn coral Hermatypic coral Chalice coral Pillar coral Staghorn coral Table coral
Soft corals	Alcyonacea Black coral Bamboo coral Organ pipe coral Sea fans Sea pens
Coral reefs	Atoll reef Cay Fringing reef Microatoll Coral reef fish Census of Coral Reefs The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs Catlin Seaview Survey
Coral regions	List of reefs Deep-water coral African coral reefs Amazon Reef Andros, Bahamas Belize Barrier Reef Coral Sea Islands Coral Triangle Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Great Barrier Reef Maldives Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System New Caledonia Barrier Reef Pulley Ridge Raja Ampat Islands Red Sea Southeast Asian coral reefs
Coral diseases	Coral bleaching Black band disease Skeletal eroding band White band disease White pox disease
Protection	Coral Reef Alliance Coral reef protection Green Fins International Society for Reef Studies Project AWARE Reef Check Reef Ball
Other	Artificial reef Aquaculture of coral Coral dermatitis Precious coral Coral rag Coral reef organizations Coral sand Coralline alga Environmental issues with coral reefs Fire coral Reef resilience Rugosa (extinct) Symbiodinium Tabulata