4. Alcyonarians or Gorgonians (Sub-Class Octocorallia)
The most comprehensive taxonomic review of the shallow-water Octocorallia of the
West
y B
(1961) and i
l depth re
30 m
the
ntille
Granada) are t
ug
own
ber of c
localitie
e
wk” expedi
ovided the
the main
e
rals (Alcyon
Puerto Rican
The t
A
a fro
ced
Rogers (1900).
sp
oct
(identifie
Antipathes
dep
unately, t
by Hargitt and Rogers (1900) contains many spec
tions of alcyonari
without referenc
ion
r depth of co
alcyonarian colle
the yatch Caroline from the Johnson-Sm
rt
in 1933 was presumably examined by Dr. Bayer an
in his revision of
shallowf
t Ind
nomic re
the deep-water Octocorallia is lacking at present.
The Sub-Class Octocorallia is divided into six Orders. The Order Telestacea includes
the genus Telesto, with two species T. riseii and T. corallina reported for deep reefs of
Puerto Rico (Bayer, 1961; Colin, 1978). The Order Gorgonacea includes sea fans, sea
pens, sea rods, and sea plumes. This is a highly diverse and abundant taxonomic
group, and a prominent structural component of many shallow-water Caribbean reefs. In
Puerto Rico and the USVI there are at least 10 species distributed down to depths of at
least 33 m in deep hermatypic reefs of the upper insular slope (Armstrong et al., in
press). One of the most common species is the deepwater seafan, Iciligorgia schrammi
which is abundant over hard (rocky) substate at depths between 30-40 meters in Bajo de
Sico (Mona Passage) and at the shelf-edge in many localities of Puerto Rico (GarcíaSais-unpublished data). The devil’s sea whip, Ellisella barbadensis is also common on
deep hermatypic reefs of Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean down to depths of
250 m (Colin, 1978). The sea penn, Stylatula diadema was noted to be abundant in soft
bottoms at depths between 20-30 m in turbid waters within Ponce Bay, south coast of
PR (García-Sais, 2003), but has also been observed to occur in depths of more than
40 m in clear waters of the San Juan, PR outer shelf (García-Sais, 2001).
Indies was prepared b ayer
ncludes severa
cords below
(Table 17). Among the islands of
West Indies, the Lesser A
s (USVI to
he most thoro hly kn
and provide the greatest num
ollecting
s (Bayer (1961). Th “Fish Ha
t
r
ion of 1899 p
first and still
source of deep-wat r Octoco
arians) from
waters.
axonomic report of the lcyonari
m this expedition was produ
by Hargitt and
A total of 9 ecies of
ocorals and one black coral
d as
tristis ) were collected from
th
rt
s of at least 30 m. Unfo
he report
ies identifica
ans
e to the stat
and/o
llection. The
ction by
ithsonian Expedition to the Pue o Rican Deep
d included
the
water Octocorallia o the Wes
ian Region. A regional taxo
view of
65
The most comprehensive taxonomic review of the shallow-water Octocorallia of the
West
y B
(1961) and i
l depth re
30 m
the
ntille
Granada) are t
ug
own
ber of c
localitie
e
wk” expedi
ovided the
the main
e
rals (Alcyon
Puerto Rican
The t
A
a fro
ced
Rogers (1900).
sp
oct
(identifie
Antipathes
dep
unately, t
by Hargitt and Rogers (1900) contains many spec
tions of alcyonari
without referenc
ion
r depth of co
alcyonarian colle
the yatch Caroline from the Johnson-Sm
rt
in 1933 was presumably examined by Dr. Bayer an
in his revision of
shallowf
t Ind
nomic re
the deep-water Octocorallia is lacking at present.
The Sub-Class Octocorallia is divided into six Orders. The Order Telestacea includes
the genus Telesto, with two species T. riseii and T. corallina reported for deep reefs of
Puerto Rico (Bayer, 1961; Colin, 1978). The Order Gorgonacea includes sea fans, sea
pens, sea rods, and sea plumes. This is a highly diverse and abundant taxonomic
group, and a prominent structural component of many shallow-water Caribbean reefs. In
Puerto Rico and the USVI there are at least 10 species distributed down to depths of at
least 33 m in deep hermatypic reefs of the upper insular slope (Armstrong et al., in
press). One of the most common species is the deepwater seafan, Iciligorgia schrammi
which is abundant over hard (rocky) substate at depths between 30-40 meters in Bajo de
Sico (Mona Passage) and at the shelf-edge in many localities of Puerto Rico (GarcíaSais-unpublished data). The devil’s sea whip, Ellisella barbadensis is also common on
deep hermatypic reefs of Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean down to depths of
250 m (Colin, 1978). The sea penn, Stylatula diadema was noted to be abundant in soft
bottoms at depths between 20-30 m in turbid waters within Ponce Bay, south coast of
PR (García-Sais, 2003), but has also been observed to occur in depths of more than
40 m in clear waters of the San Juan, PR outer shelf (García-Sais, 2001).
Indies was prepared b ayer
ncludes severa
cords below
(Table 17). Among the islands of
West Indies, the Lesser A
s (USVI to
he most thoro hly kn
and provide the greatest num
ollecting
s (Bayer (1961). Th “Fish Ha
t
r
ion of 1899 p
first and still
source of deep-wat r Octoco
arians) from
waters.
axonomic report of the lcyonari
m this expedition was produ
by Hargitt and
A total of 9 ecies of
ocorals and one black coral
d as
tristis ) were collected from
th
rt
s of at least 30 m. Unfo
he report
ies identifica
ans
e to the stat
and/o
llection. The
ction by
ithsonian Expedition to the Pue o Rican Deep
d included
the
water Octocorallia o the Wes
ian Region. A regional taxo
view of
65