Leptogorgia hebes
| Leptogorgia hebes | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Octocorallia |
| Order: | Alcyonacea |
| Family: | Gorgoniidae |
| Genus: | Leptogorgia |
| Species: | L. hebes
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| Binomial name | |
| Leptogorgia hebes | |
Leptogorgia hebes, commonly known as the regal sea fan or false sea fan, is a species of soft coral in the family Gorgoniidae. It was formerly included in the genus Lophogorgia but that genus has been dismantled.[2]
Description
The regal sea fan is a
Distribution
The regal sea fan is found in the western Atlantic Ocean from Chesapeake Bay, Georgia and Florida to the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Venezuela and Brazil. It is found on shallow reefs at depths ranging from 25 to 130 feet (7.6 to 39.6 m). It is tolerant of low salinity levels (26 to 36 parts per thousand of salt equivalent) and a moderate degree of wave action. It usually grows on limestone or rock ledges.[2]
Biology
The polyps of the regal sea fan extend their tentacles to feed and gather plankton and small organisms from the surrounding water.[2]
Individual colonies are either male or female. Females start breeding at the age of two whereas the males do not do so until they are six years old. In a study in the Gulf of Mexico, where this species is a dominant member of the shallow reef community, it was found that the female gonads began developing in January and the male gonads in April. Both became ripe in August when the eggs and sperm were liberated into the sea in a synchronised spawning event. It was unclear precisely what triggered the spawning but it may have been connected to the date of the full moon.[4]
Ecology
The regal sea fan is part of a
References
- ^ van Ofwegen, Leen (2010). "Leptogorgia hebes Verrill, 1869". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ a b c d Leptogorgia hebes Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ Leptogorgia hebes Verrill, 1869 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ Beasley, S. E.; Dardeau, M. R.; Schroeder, W. W. (2003). "Reproductive Biology of the Gorgonian Leptogorgia hebes (Verrill)". In: SF Norton (Ed). Diving for Science...2003. Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Scientific Diving Symposium, American Academy of Underwater Sciences. Greenville, North Carolina. Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Leptogorgia virgulata (sea whip), L. hebes (regal sea fan), and their associates South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2012-06-19.