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The English name "Red Sea Pen" is not to be understood as Red Sea Feather but as Red Sea Pen!
The Red Sea Pen is one of the field-forming sea pens, capable of forming dense aggregations on the sandy/muddy bottoms of the.
This species was first described in the late 17th century, but since then little information has been published about its biology, ecology, and biogeography.
Even less is known about their behavior, responses to disturbance, and possible escape strategies.
Like several species of sea pens, they can partially or completely retreat into the sediment, usually in a rapid (i.e., few seconds) process of polyp closure and expulsion of some of the water contained in the colony.
In a recent study, the retraction behavior of Pennatula rubra following a disturbance was described.
This retraction behavior has never been documented before in this species, and was found to be a slow process, requiring between 210 and 340 seconds (3 minutes and 30 seconds to 5 minutes and 40 seconds) for the animal to fully retract.
In addition, weak bioluminescence was observed in two undisturbed colonies in the study area, while two other colonies emerged from the sediment, inflated with seawater, and were carried by the current as a form of dispersal behavior.
Synonyms:
Penna rubra Bohadsch, 1761
Pennatula granulosa Blainville, 1834
Pennatula setacea Esper, 1794
The Red Sea Pen is one of the field-forming sea pens, capable of forming dense aggregations on the sandy/muddy bottoms of the.
This species was first described in the late 17th century, but since then little information has been published about its biology, ecology, and biogeography.
Even less is known about their behavior, responses to disturbance, and possible escape strategies.
Like several species of sea pens, they can partially or completely retreat into the sediment, usually in a rapid (i.e., few seconds) process of polyp closure and expulsion of some of the water contained in the colony.
In a recent study, the retraction behavior of Pennatula rubra following a disturbance was described.
This retraction behavior has never been documented before in this species, and was found to be a slow process, requiring between 210 and 340 seconds (3 minutes and 30 seconds to 5 minutes and 40 seconds) for the animal to fully retract.
In addition, weak bioluminescence was observed in two undisturbed colonies in the study area, while two other colonies emerged from the sediment, inflated with seawater, and were carried by the current as a form of dispersal behavior.
Synonyms:
Penna rubra Bohadsch, 1761
Pennatula granulosa Blainville, 1834
Pennatula setacea Esper, 1794
