? Lophelia pertusa
Conservation status: Vulnerable
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Cnidaria Class: Anthozoa Order: Scleractinia Family: Carophylliidae Genus: Lophelia Species: Lophelia pertusa
Binomial name
Lopehelia pertusa L., 1758
Synonyms
Dendrosmilia nomlandi Lophelia californica Lophelia prolifera Lophelia subcostata Lophohelia affinis Lophohelia tubulosa Madrepora pertusa Madrepora prolifera

Lophelia pertusa (L., 1758) is a species of cold-water coral which grows in the deep waters throughout the North Atlantic ocean. L. pertusa reefs are home to a diverse community, however the species is extremely slow growing and may be harmed by destructive fishing practices, or oil exploration and extraction. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x721, 44 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Classes Anthozoa - Corals and sea anemones Cubozoa - Sea wasps or box jellyfish Hydrozoa - Hydroids, hydra-like animals Scyphozoa - Jellyfish Cnidaria (from New Latin cnida nematocyst, fr. ... Orders Subclass Alcyonaria (Octocorallia)   Alcyonacea - Soft corals   Gorgonacea - sea fan,sea feather   Helioporacea   Pennatulacea - sea pen, sea pansy   Stolonifera   Telestacea Subclass Ceriantipatharia   Antipatharia - black coral, thorny coral   Ceriantharia - tube-dwelling anemone Subclass Hexacorallia   Actiniaria - Sea anemone   Scleractinia - stony coral Subclass Zoantharia   Corallimorpharia   Ptychodactiaria   Rugosa†   Zoanthidea - zoanthid Anthozoa is a class... Families Scleractinia, also called stony star corals, are exclusively marine animals; they are very similar to sea anemones but generate a hard skeleton. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... A painting of Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as Carl von Linné, and who wrote under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish scientist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of taxonomy. ... In scientific classification, synonymy is the existence of multiple systematic names to label the same organism. ... A painting of Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as Carl von Linné, and who wrote under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish scientist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of taxonomy. ... Orders see Anthozoa Corals are gastrovascular marine cnidarians (phylum Cnidaria; class Anthozoa) existing as small sea anemone-like polyps, typically forming colonies of many individuals. ... For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of and in living nature. ... Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. ...

Biology

Lophelia pertusa is a reef building, deep water and temperate coral, which is unusual for its lack of zooxanthellae - the symbiotic algae which lives inside most tropical reef building corals. Lophelia typically lives between 200m to 2000m depth, where there is no sunlight, and a temperature range from about 10°C to 4°C. As a coral, it represents a colonial organism, which consists of many individuals. New polyps live and build upon the calcium carbonate skeletal remains of previous generations. Living coral ranges in colour from white to orange-red. Unlike most tropical corals, the polyps are not interconnected by living tissue. Radiocarbon dating indicates that some Lophelia reefs in the waters off North Carolina may be 40,000 years old, with individual living coral bushes as much as 1,000 yrs old. Zooxanthellae are golden-brown endosymbionts of various marine animals and protozoa. ... Common Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) in their Magnificent Sea Anemone (Heteractis magnifica) home. ... The aphotic zone is the depth of the ocean that is not exposed to sunlight. ... In biology, a colony (from Latin colonia) means several individual organisms of the same species living closely together, usually for mutual benefit, such as stronger defences, the ability to attack bigger prey etc. ... This article is about the cnidarian polyps. ... Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound, with chemical formula CaCO3. ... State nickname: Tar Heel State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley (D) Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th)  - Land 126,256 km²  - Water 13,227 km² (9. ...

A bed of Lophelia pertusa photographed from a ROV.

The coral reproduces by budding off new polyps and by producing free-living planktonic larvae which float in the water until they find a suitable surface to attach to and grow on. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Remotely operated vehicles (ROV) are mobile tools used in environments too dangerous for humans. ... Reproduction is the creation of one thing as a copy of, product of, or replacement for a similar thing, e. ... BUD refers to: big ugly dish, a colloquial name for a satellite dish used to receive satellite television signals on the C band. ...

Lophelia reefs can grow to 35 m high, be hundreds of metres wide, and the largest recorded reef measures 13km, off the Lofoten Islands, Norway. When this is seen in terms of a growth rate of around 1mm per year, the great age of these reefs becomes apparent. Henningsvær, a fishing village in Lofoten during fishing season (April, 2001). ...

Polyps at the end of branches feed by extending their tentacles and straining plankton from the seawater. The spring bloom of phytoplankton and subsequent zooplankton blooms, provide the main source of nutrient input to the deep sea. This rain of dead plankton is visible on photographs of the seabed and stimulates a seasonal cycle of growth and reproduction in Lophelia. This cycle is recorded in patterns of growth, and can be studied to investigate climatic variation in the recent past. Tentacles can refer to the elongated flexible organs that are present in many invertebrates, and sometimes to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. ... Phytoplankton shown highly magnified Phytoplankton refers to the algal or plant-like component of the plankton that drifts in the water column. ... Photomontage of plankton organisms Plankton is the aggregate community of weakly swimming but mostly drifting small organisms that inhabit the water column of the ocean, seas, and bodies of freshwater. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years The term climate change is used to refer to changes in the Earths global climate or regional climates. ...

Conservation status

L. pertusa was listed under CITES Appendix II in January 1990, meaning that the United Nations Environmental Programme recognizes that this species is not necessarily currently threatened with extinction but that it may become so in the future. CITES is technically a means of restricting international trade in endangered species, which is not a major threat to the survival of L. pertusa. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between Governments, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). ... Klaus Töpfer, UNEP Exec. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ...

Main threats come from destruction of reefs by heavy deep-sea trawl nets, targeting redfish or grenadiers. The heavy metal "doors" which hold the mouth of the net open, and the "footline", which is equipped with large metal "rollers", are dragged along the sea bed, and have a highly damaging effect on the coral. Because the rate of growth is so slow, it is unlikely that that this practice will prove to be sustainable. Categories: Fisheries science | Fishing | Stub ... Binomial name Micropterus punctulatus (Rafinesque, 1819) The spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. ... Genera Many; see text. ... Sustainable - the ability to maintain into perpetuity. ...

A brachyuran crab living on a Lophelia reef

In recent years, environmental organisations such as Greenpeace have argued that exploration for oil on the north west continental shelf slopes of Europe should be curtailed due to the possibility that is it damaging to the Lophelia reefs. Whether this represents their concern for the deep sea ecosystem, or a chance to strike a blow against big business is open to debate. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Sections Dromiacea Raninoida Heterotremata Thoracotremata The term crab is often applied to several different groups of short (nose to tail) decapods with thick exoskeletons, but only members of the Brachyura are true crabs; other taxa, such as hermit crabs, porcelain crabs, king crabs, and horseshoe crabs are, despite superficial similarities... Greenpeace protest in Brasília, Brazil. ... Oil is a generic term for organic liquids that are not miscible with water. ... The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent, which is covered during interglacial periods such as the one we live in by relatively shallow seas and gulfs. ... Big business is a pejorative term referring to large corporations alleged to have disproportionate political and economic power, or otherwise be faceless, selfish, and indifferent to the needs of the general public. ...

Ecological significance

A conger eel which has set up home in a Lophelia bed

Lophelia beds create a specialised habitat favoured by some species of deep water fishes. Surveys have recorded conger eels, sharks, groupers and hake. The invertebrate community consists of brittle stars, molluscs, amphipods and crabs. High densities of smaller fish such as hatchetfish and lanternfish have been recorded in the waters over Lophelia beds, indicating they may be important prey items for the larger fish below. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Conger or conger eel is a vernacular term used of a number of different species of fish, mostly eels of the family Congridae, and especially the genus Conger. ... Orders Hexanchiformes Squaliformes Pristiophoriformes Squatiniformes Heterodontiformes Orectolobiformes Carcharhiniformes Lamniformes Sharks are a group (superorder Selachimorpha) of fish, with a full cartilaginous skeleton, a streamlined body plan with between 5 and 7 gill slits along the sides (most often) or side of the head (the first modified slit is behind the... Genera Acanthistius Alphestes Anyperidon Caprodon Cephalopholis Cromileptes Dermatolepis Epinephelus Gonioplectrus Gracila Hypoplectrodes Liopropoma Mycteroperca Niphon Paranthias Plectropomus Saloptia Triso Variola For the computer program, see Grouper (Windows application). ... The term hake refers to various fish in the families Gadidae (subfamily Phycinae) and Merlucciidae (both subfamilies Merlucciinae and Steindachneriinae). ... Orders Oegophiurida Ophiurida Phrynophiurida Brittle stars are echinoderms, closely related to starfish. ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora - Chitons Monoplacophora Bivalvia - Bivalves Scaphopoda - Tusk shells Gastropoda - Snails and Slugs Cephalopoda - Squids, Octopuses, etc. ... Families about 200 partial list Alpheidae Ampeliscidae Amphilochidae Ampithoidae Anisogammaridae Aoridae Artesiidae Bogideillidae Bosminidae Caprellidae Corophiidae Crangonyctidae Eusiridae Gammaridae Hadziidae Haustoriidae Iphimediidae Ischyroceridae Leucothoidae Liljeborgiidae Lysianassidae Melitidae Phoxocephalidae Sebidae Talitridae Amphipoda (amphipods) include about 4600 different species of small, shrimp_like crustaceans. ... Sections Dromiacea Raninoida Heterotremata Thoracotremata The term crab is often applied to several different groups of short (nose to tail) decapods with thick exoskeletons, but only members of the Brachyura are true crabs; other taxa, such as hermit crabs, porcelain crabs, king crabs, and horseshoe crabs are, despite superficial similarities... The name hatchetfish may refer to two unrelated groups of fishes: Marine hatchetfishes, small deep-sea bioluminescent fishes (Stomiiformes) of the family Sternoptychidae, subfamily Sternoptychinae. ... Genera Benthosema Bolinichthys Centrobranchus Ceratoscopelus Diaphus Diogenichthys Electrona Gonichthys Gymnoscopelus Hintonia Hygophum Idiolychnus Krefftichthys Lampadena Lampanyctodes Lampanyctus Lampichthys Lepidophanes Lobianchia Loweina Metelectrona Myctophum Nannobrachium Notolychnus Notoscopelus Parvilux Protomyctophum Scopelopsis Stenobrachius Symbolophorus Taaningichthys Tarletonbeania Triphoturus Lanternfish (or myctophids, from the Greek words mykter, nose and ophis, serpent) are small, deep sea...

List of countries where L. pertusa has been recorded

This is a list of official records of countries where L. pertusa has been reported from, as reproted by CITES and the UNEP, and as such, is incomplete, and affected by development of marine science in that country, and effort put into surveying for it. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between Governments, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). ... Klaus Töpfer, UNEP Exec. ...