Order ANTIPATHARIA Milne-Edwards, 1857

Museums

Regional Maps

• Antipatharia Milne Edwards, H. 1857. Histoire Naturelle des Coralliaires ou Polypes Proprement Dits. Paris : Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret Vol. T. 1 326 pp. [Only the chapter 'Introduction historique' was written by Milne-Edwards & Haime, as the latter passed away (see preface to the volume)] [311–312].

Introduction

The branches of these colonial hexacorals have an internal rod or axis that forms a tree-like colony or a single long coiled whip. The black colour comes from a keratin-like protein which is secreted by polyps to form the skeleton - this material is covered by a thin veneer of living tissue which is usually white, brown or yellow. Black corals occur in both shallow and deep water. The internal skeleton of mature colonies may become very dense and hard, which makes it ideal for jewellery or ornaments, hence black corals are under pressure from overharvesting. Trade in black coral is controlled by the Convention on Trade in Endangered species. Consulting specialist for this section was Dr. John Ryland

General References

Opresko, D.M. 1998. Three new species of Leiopathes (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Antipatharia) from Southern Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 31(1): 99-111

History of changes