Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Phylum: Cnidaria
Classis: Anthozoa
Subclassis: Hexacorallia
Ordo: Zoantharia
Subordo: Macrocnemina
Familia: Parazoanthidae
Genus: Savalia
Species: Savalia lucifica
Name
Savalia lucifica (Cutress & Pequegnat, 1960)
Combinations
Parazoanthus lucificum Cutress & Pequegnat, 1960
Savalia lucifica Sinniger, Reimer & Pawlowski, 2008
References
Charles Ernest Cutress & Willis Eugene Pequegnat, 1960: Three New Zoantharia from California Pacific Science 14 (2): 89–100
Frederic Sinniger, Davis Reimer & Jan Pawlowski, 2008: Potential of DNA Sequences to Identify Zoanthids (Cnidaria: Zoantharia) Zoological Science 25: 1253–1260 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.25.1253
Savalia lucifica, commonly known as the luminescent parazoanthid, is a form of false black coral in the family Parazoanthidae. It is known from the Pacific Ocean where it lives at depths of around 700 m (2,297 ft) off the coast of California, but more recently (2011) has been discovered in the Mediterranean Sea at a depth of 270 m (886 ft). This zoanthid exhibits bioluminescence.[2]
Distribution
Savalia lucifica was first described by Cutress & Pequegnat in 1960. The type specimen was recovered from the seabed at a depth of 700 m (2,297 ft) in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. In 2011 the same species was recovered from a depth of 270 m (886 ft) in the Mediterranean Sea by a robot submersible operated from the Italian oceanographic ship "Astrea". This vessel was undertaking exploration and research into the deepwater red coral populations of the Aegean Sea at the time.[2]
Ecology
Savalia lucifica emits light when stimulated, for example when stroked gently by a finger. In the Mediterranean Sea, this zoanthid uses the deepwater gorgonian Callogorgia verticillata as a substrate.[3]
References
Sinniger, Frederic (2015). "Savalia lucifica (Cutress C.E. & Pequegnat W.E., 1960)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
Laura Spano (2011-10-18). "Il corallo che si illumina nelle acque di Marettimo". ISPRA (in Italian). RepTV. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
"ISPRA: scoperto in Sicilia un corallo dotato di luce propria. Localizzata dalla nave dell'Istituto un'eccezionale specie bioluminescente". Comunicati stampa (in Italian). ISPRA. 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
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