Wanted dead or alive: Corallium rubrum (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) on the coasts of Turkey

Abstract

The present paper deals with the occurrence of the red coral Corallium rubrum along the coasts of Turkey. Dead colonies of the species were found in the northern Aegean (one location in Gokceada) and Levantine Seas (three locations) between 45 and 110 m depths, and living colonies were only observed in the northern Aegean Sea (one location in Gokceada) at 50 m depth. The maximum height and basal diameter of dead skeletons of the specimens from Gokceada were measured as 9.6 cm and 8.4 mm, respectively. The present paper extended the distributional range of C. rubrum within the Mediterranean Sea to Anamur, the eastern point in its distribution.