Diet

• Pacifigorgia species are suspension-feeding gorgonian corals that obtain food from material carried by surrounding currents.

• Their numerous polyps extend eight pinnate tentacles that capture zooplankton, small planktonic organisms and suspended organic particles.

• Feeding is particularly effective in areas with regular water movement, which continually brings food into contact with the colony.

• The colonies can also provide habitat and attachment surfaces for small marine organisms, contributing to the complexity of shallow reef communities.

Range

• Pacifigorgia is an eastern Pacific genus of gorgonian corals, with species occurring from the Pacific coast of Mexico southward through Central America to northern South America.

• Several species occur along the Pacific coast of Mexico, including the southern Mexican Pacific and the broader Zihua region.

• The genus is primarily associated with tropical and subtropical eastern Pacific waters.

Habitat

• Pacifigorgia species are predominantly shallow-water gorgonians growing on hard substrates such as rocky reefs, walls, ledges and other firm surfaces.

• They are especially abundant and diverse in areas with good water movement, where currents supply suspended food to the colonies.

• Most species occur in relatively shallow water, although individual species occupy different depth ranges. Some Panamanian species, for example, have been recorded at only 1–5 m depth, while others occur considerably deeper.

• Colonies may grow in exposed locations swept by currents as well as in more sheltered reef habitats.

Description

• Pacifigorgia species are colonial octocorals that commonly form broad, fan-shaped colonies with numerous branching structures.

• The colonies may be delicate and open or dense and closely meshed, depending on the species. Some form multiple overlapping fans, while others develop more irregular branching patterns.

• The branches contain an internal flexible axial skeleton surrounded by living tissue and numerous microscopic calcium-carbonate sclerites.

• Small polyps occur along the branches and possess eight pinnate tentacles, giving the colony a finely textured appearance when the polyps are extended.

• Colour varies among species and includes white, cream, yellow, orange, red, purple, brown and combinations of these colours.

• Colony structure, branching pattern, colour, the arrangement of the polyps and the form of the microscopic sclerites are important characteristics used to distinguish species within the genus.