Redescription of the Mediterranean endemic sea-pen Crassophyllum thessalonicae (Octocorallia: Pteroeididae)

Abstract

Five colonies of the rare pennatulacean Crassophyllum thessalonicae were recently collected from Thermaikos Gulf (northeast Mediterranean), which allowed a study of their biometry; accordingly, new features are added to the original description of the species. Based on these data the morphological characters that distinguish C. thessalonicae from its congeners are reviewed.

Towards Non-Invasive Methods to Assess Population Structure and Biomass in Vulnerable Sea Pen Fields

“…The identification of proper biometric relationships has been recently done for other sea pen species in eastern Canada [21] and is common for size–frequency distribution of other octocorals [37], as well as for other marine invertebrates [38]. However, this approach cannot currently be applied to rare species, such as the endemic sea pen Crassophyllum thessalonicae Vafidis & Koukouras, 1991 [39] and the wip-like sea pen Protoptilum carpenteri Kölliker, 1872 [40].…”

Biometric relationships in the red sea pen Pennatula rubra (Cnidaria: Pennatulacea)

“…Future perspectives include the finding of similar correlations in other species of sea pens sampled for other purposes, as for the facies of Kophobelemnon stelliferum (Müller, 1776) found in the Ionian Sea [18]. On the contrary, this approach cannot be applied to rare species such as the endemic sea pen Crassophyllum thessalonicae Vafidis & Koukouras, 1991, only known from the Thermaikos Gulf (Greece) [27] and the wip-like sea pen Protoptilum carpenteri Kölliker, 1872, found only in two areas of the Mediterranean Sea [4,28]. The identification of proper biometric relationships has been recently carried out for other sea pen species in eastern Canada [9], and is common for size-frequency distribution of other octocorals [29], as well as for other marine invertebrates [30].…”