Iciligorgia schrammi

Tiefseegorgonie ( Iciligorgia schrammi )

The Tiefseegorgonie ( Iciligorgia schrammi ) occurs in the Caribbean in the Bahamas, on the coasts of Florida and on the Atlantic coast of South America from Colombia to Brazil. In shallow water from a depth of 15 meters, it is still rare, but was forming at depths far below 300 meters. It grows always only protected from light and fluid- rich cliffs.

It forms up to two meters high, fan-shaped, positioned transversely to the flow in a plane colonies dichotomous, but not very regularly branch out. Its branches are slightly flattened and gray-brown to burgundy colored in shallow water, in deeper water, they are brighter. The polyps are also open during the day. From related species it differs in the shape and thickness of the branches, as well as the color of the polyps. In the unrelated, but living in the same habitat black corals ( Antipatharia ) are the polyps brighter and sit in small cups only on the outer edge of the branches.