Black coral

(invertebrate zoology) The common name for antipatharian cnidarians having black, horny axial skeletons.

Antipathella fiordensis

ORDER

Antipatharia

FAMILY

Myriopathidae

TAXONOMY

Antipathes fiordensis Grange, 1990, Doubtful Sound, New Zealand.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

None known.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Densely branched tree-like colonies grow to over 16 ft (5 m) tall. Tiny polyps, arranged in rows, are white with six tentacles surrounding a mouth that is raised on an oral cone. Proteinaceous black skeleton is covered with spines.

DISTRIBUTION

Endemic to southwestern New Zealand.

HABITAT

Attached to the walls of fjords from 13 to over 325 ft (4 to over 100 m) in depth (but most abundant between 32–114 ft [10–35 m]). This habitat range is unusually shallow for black coral, which are typically found in deeper waters.

BEHAVIOR

Produces sweeper tentacles, which are up to eight times longer, and more densely covered with nematocysts, than normal tentacles. Sweeper tentacles are used in aggressive interactions with other cnidarians in competition for space.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Diet consists of zooplankton, primarily copepods, which are captured by direct contact with the tentacles.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Gonochoristic; broadcast spawns annually during the summer to produce free-swimming planula larvae.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Endemic to the fjords of Fiordland in southwestern New Zealand. Population size has been estimated at more than seven million colonies. Black coral is a protected species in New Zealand, and all black corals are listed on CITES Appendix II.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

The skeleton of black coral is used to make jewelry; however, no known fishery exists for A. fiordensis as of 2003.

Black coral
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Anthozoa
Subclass:	Ceriantipatharia
Order:	Antipatharia Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1857
Family:	Antipathidae
Genera
Antipathes Aphanipathes Bathypathes Cirripathes Leiopathes Parantipathes Stichopathes Taxipathes

Black corals (Antipatharia) are a group of deep water, tree-like corals related to sea anemones which normally occur in the tropics although they are also found in shallow water non-tropical areas such as Milford Sound in New Zealand where they can be seen in an underwater observatory. There are about 230 known species of Antipatharians in 42 genera^[1].

Though black coral's living tissue is brilliantly colored, it takes its name from the distinctive black or dark brown color of its skeleton. Also unique to black coral are the tiny spines that cover the surface of the skeleton, the origin of the nickname little thorn coral. In the Hawaiian language, black coral is called ‘ēkaha kū moana and is the official state gem of Hawaii. Black coral is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Lifespan

In March 2009, scientists released the results of their research on deep-sea (depths of ~300 to 3,000 m) corals throughout the world. They discovered a subdivision of Black Coral, A. Leiopathes sp. specimens, to be among the oldest continuously living organisms on the planet; around 4,265 years old. They show that the "radial growth rates are as low as 4 to 35 mkm year^(-1) and that individual colony longevities are on the order of thousands of years".^[2][3]

References

1. ^ Tazioli, S., Bo, M., Boyer, M., Rotinsulu, H. & Bavestrello, G., 2007. Ecology of some common antipatharians from the Marine Park of Bunaken (North Sulawesi, Indonesia). Zoological Studies, 46, 227–241
2. ^ Roark EB, Guilderson TP, Dunbar RB, Fallon SJ, Mucciarone DA (2009-03-23). "Extreme longevity in proteinaceous deep-sea corals". Proc Natl Acad Sci USA [Epub ahead of print]. PMID 19307564. 
3. ^ Graczyk, Michael (2009-03-25). "Scientists ID living coral as 4,265 years old". The Associated Press. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6341406.html. 

External links

• Antipathidae entry at Animal Diversity Web
• Antipathidae (TSN 51941). Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
• Mead, Gale (2001-06-08). "Research Expedition Aimed at Halting Loss of Black Coral". National Geographic News. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/06/0606_blackcoral.html. 
• "Black corals (Leiopathes spp.)". ARKive. http://www.arkive.org/black-corals/leiopathes-spp/. 

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