Kingdom Animalia Family Virgulariidae Phylum Cnidaria Order Sea pen | Suborder Subsessiliflorae Genus Virgularia Rank Species Subclass Octocorallia | |
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Similar Sea pen, Virgularia, Virgulariidae, Octocorallia, Violet‑spotted anemone | ||
The feathery sea pen, Virgularia schultzei, is a species of sea pen in the family Virgulariidae.
Contents
Description
Feathery sea pens stand upright in the sand like the quill of a feather. The central axis has flat branch-like extensions on which the polyps are clustered. They are usually white or cream. The peduncle is very long and the entire colony can retract into the sand if disturbed. This species may grow to 50 cm in height and is about 1 cm wide.
Distribution
This species is known from Luderitz in Namibia and round the southern African coast to central Mozambique in 6-222m under water.
Ecology
Lives in sand. Feeds on microplankton.
References
Feathery sea pen Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA