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In Stalemate Bank, western Aleutian Islands, Alaska, a specimen of a deep-sea gorgonian was landed by bottom trawl at a depth of 184 metres on 18.6. 2002.
This was a vigorously coloured, upright colony measuring 12cm in height and 25cm in width with many long, stout terminal branches ~5.0 mm in diameter, resembling coiling serpents seen on the head of the Medusa Gorgon.
The gorgonian had large and numerous polyps scattered on all sides of the main, secondary and tertiary branches, with few to none on the main stem and foot.
The tentacles of the polyps can be completely retracted into the moderate to very thick coenenchyma, they are often all connected and form a tall "grooved column" extending directly perpendicular to the branch, but also pointing up, down or to both "sides" of the polyp.
The coenenchyma is bright lemon yellow, accentuated in depth by numerous peach-orange brittle stars entwined in the branches.
Despite extensive collections by bottom trawling, longlining and crab boat fishing and research surveys throughout the region over the past several decades, as well as systematic surveys of the seabed habitat in the central Aleutian Islands using submersibles and remotely operated vehicles, only this one specimen has been collected and studied to date.
The shape and morphology of the specimen's foot disc indicate that it was attached to a small rock or large pebble.
Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin word for "bright" or "shining" (=splendius) and the Latin word for "lemon yellow" (=citrina).
Source:
Horvath, Elizabeth A. & Stone, Robert P., 2018, Another unusual new gorgonian (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Plexauridae) from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Zootaxa 4524 (1), pp. 112-120: 114-119
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4524.1.8
This was a vigorously coloured, upright colony measuring 12cm in height and 25cm in width with many long, stout terminal branches ~5.0 mm in diameter, resembling coiling serpents seen on the head of the Medusa Gorgon.
The gorgonian had large and numerous polyps scattered on all sides of the main, secondary and tertiary branches, with few to none on the main stem and foot.
The tentacles of the polyps can be completely retracted into the moderate to very thick coenenchyma, they are often all connected and form a tall "grooved column" extending directly perpendicular to the branch, but also pointing up, down or to both "sides" of the polyp.
The coenenchyma is bright lemon yellow, accentuated in depth by numerous peach-orange brittle stars entwined in the branches.
Despite extensive collections by bottom trawling, longlining and crab boat fishing and research surveys throughout the region over the past several decades, as well as systematic surveys of the seabed habitat in the central Aleutian Islands using submersibles and remotely operated vehicles, only this one specimen has been collected and studied to date.
The shape and morphology of the specimen's foot disc indicate that it was attached to a small rock or large pebble.
Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin word for "bright" or "shining" (=splendius) and the Latin word for "lemon yellow" (=citrina).
Source:
Horvath, Elizabeth A. & Stone, Robert P., 2018, Another unusual new gorgonian (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Plexauridae) from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Zootaxa 4524 (1), pp. 112-120: 114-119
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4524.1.8
