Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Note on new records of living Scleractinia and Gorgonaria between 1700 and 2200 m depth in the western Mediterranean Sea

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Marine Biodiversity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

While living corals were mainly reported to live at depths shallower than 1200 m, their pleistocene fossils in the form of Pleistocene fossils are found at depths of ca. 2000 m in the Mediterranean Sea. This was found after in-situ observations during dives of the Nautile submarine in the Canyon of Stoechade (France). During these dives, living specimens of sea fans (Acanthogorgia hirsuta, Isidella elongata, Placogorgia massiliensis) and hard corals (Javania cailleti) were observed and collected at depths of between 1700 and 2200 m. In an attempt to explain this unexpected find, it has been speculated that general conditions in northern canyons may be more favorable to the deep occurrence of these organisms than the central and southern areas of the Mediterranean, where no living Scleractinia or Gorgonaria have been observed at similar depths.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  • Bellaiche G (1972) Prélèvement par 2000 m de profondeur d'un réflecteur acoustique d'âge Pliocène inférieur à faciès peu profond (canyon des Stoechades, Méditerranée nord-occidentale). C R Acad Sci Paris 275(D):321–324

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellaiche G (1985) Les plongées en submersible dans les canyons sous-marins de la Méditerranée occidentale. Bull Instit Océanogr Monaco special Num 4:159–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellaiche G, Francheteau J (1975) Le canyon des Stoechades: résultats de deux plongées en bathyscaphe “Archiméde” dans le cadre des campagnes PREFAMOUS. Ann Instit Océanogr Paris 51(1):83–88

    Google Scholar 

  • Bethoux JP (1984) Paléo-hydrologie de la Méditerranée au cours des derniers 20 000 ans. Oceanol Acta 7(1):43–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanc JJ, Pérès JM, Picard J (1959) Coraux profonds et thanatocoenoses quaternaires en Méditerranée. Coll Internat CNRS 83:185–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Bouchet P, Taviani M (1992) The Mediterranean deep-sea fauna: Pseudopopulations of Atlantic species ? Deep-Sea Res I 39(2A):169–184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cacho I, Grimalt JO, Canals M, Sba YL, Shackleton NJ, Schönfeld J, Zahn R (2001) Variability of the western Mediterranean Sea surface temperature during the last 25,000 years and its connection with the northern hemisphere climatic changes. Paleoceanography 16:40–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpine C, Grasshoff M (1975) Les Gorgonaires de la Méditerranée. Bull Inst Océanogr Monaco 71(1430):1–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Cartes JE, Maynou F, Fanelli E, Romano C, Mamouridis V, Papiol V (2009) The distribution of megabenthic, invertebrate epifauna in the Balearic Basin (western Mediterranean) between 400 and 2300m: environmental gradients influencing assemblage composition and biomass trends. J Sea Res 61(4):244–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danovaro R, Company JB, Corinaldesi C, D’Onghia G, Galil B, Cristina Gambi C, Gooday AJ, Lampadariou N, Luna GM, Morigi C, Olu K, Polymenakou P, Ramirez-Llodra E, Sabbatini A, Sarda F, Sibuet M, Tselepides A (2010) Deep-Sea biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea: the Kown, the unknown and the unknowable. PLoS One 5(8):e11832

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Di Geronimo I, Zibrowius H (1980) Le Scléractiniaire Fungiacyathus fragilis et l’Octocoralliaire Stolonifère Scyphopodium ingolfi dans le Pleistocène de la Méditerranée. Rapp PV Comiss Internation Explor Sci Médit 28(3):303–306

    Google Scholar 

  • Emig C, Geistdoerfer P (2004) The Mediterranean deep-sea fauna: historical evolution, bathymetric variations and geographical changes. Carnets de Géologie 1–10

  • Forbes E (1844) On the light thrown on geology by submarine researches; being the substance of a communication made to the Royal Institution of great Britain, Friday evening, the 23d February 1844. Edinburgh New Phisol J 36:319–327

    Google Scholar 

  • Galil BS (2004) The limlit of the sea: the bathyal fauna of the Levantine Sea. Scient Mar 68(Suppl 3):63–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glangeaud L, Schlich R, Pautot G, Bellaiche G, Patriat P, Ronfard M (1965) Morphologie, tectonophysique et évolution géodynamique de la bordure sous-marine des Maures et de l'Estérel. Relations avec les régions voisines. Bull Soc Géol Fr 6(7):998–1009

    Google Scholar 

  • Grasshoff M (1977) Die Gorgonarien des östlichen Nordatlantic und des Mittelmeeres III. Die Familie Paramuriceidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). ‘Meteor’ Forschungs-Ergebnisse D 27:5–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarms G (1991) Taxonomic characters from the polyp tubes of coronate medusae (Scyphozoa, Coronatae). Hydrobiologia 216/217:463–470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laubier L, Emig C (1993) La faune benthique profonde de Méditerranée. In: Della Croce FR (ed) Symposium Mediterranen Seas 2000. Università di Genova, pp 397–428

  • López Correa M, Freiwald A, Hall-Spencer J, Taviani M (2005) Distribution and habitats of Acesta excavate (Bivalvia: Limidae) with new data on its shell ultrastructure. In: Freiwald A, Roberts JM (eds) Cold-water corals and ecosystems. Springer, Berlin, pp 173–205

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Maynou F, Cartes JE (2012) Effects of trawling on fish and invertebrates from deep-sea coral facies of Isidella elongata in the western Mediterranean. J Mar Biol Ass UK 92(7):1501–1507

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGill DA (1961) A preliminary study of the oxygen and phosphate distribution in the Mediterranean Sea. Deep-Sea Res I 8:259–269

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérès JM, Picard J (1964) Nouveau manuel de bionomie benthique de la Méditerranée. Rec Trav Stat Mar Endoume 47(31):1–137

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarà M (1985) Ecological factors and their biogeographic consequences in the Mediterranean ecosystems. In: Moraitou-Apostolopoulou M, Kiortsis V (eds) Mediterranean marine ecosystems. Plenum Press, New York, pp 1–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Sardà F, Calafat A, Flexas MM, Tselepides A, Canals M, Espino M, Tursi A (2004) An introduction to Mediterranean deep-sea biology. Sci Mar 68(Suppl 3):7–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taviani M, Colantoni P (1984) Paléobiocoenoses profondes à Scléractiniaires sur l’escarpement de Malte-Syracuse (Mer Méditerranée): leur structure, leur âge et leur signification. Rev Inst Français du Pétrole 39(5):547–559

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taviani M, Freiwald A, Zibrowius H (2005) Deep coral growth in the Mediterranean Sea: an overview. In: Freiwald A, Roberts M (eds) Cold-water corals and ecosystems. Springer, Berlin, pp 137–156

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Taviani M, Vertino A, López Correa M, Savini A, De Mol B, Remia A, Montagna P, Angeletti L, Zibrowius H, Alves T, Salomidi M, Ritt B, Henry P (2010) Pleistocene to Recent scleractinian deep-water corals and coral facies in the Eastern Mediterranean. Facies 57:579–603

  • Vaissière R, Fredj G (1964) Etude photographique préliminaire de l’étage bathyal dans la région de Saint-Tropez (ensemble A). Bull Inst Océanogr Monaco 64(1323):1–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Watling L, Auster PJ (2005) Distribution of deep-water Alcyonacea off the northeast coast of the United States. In: Freiwald A, Roberts JM (eds) Cold-water corals and ecosystems. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp 279–229

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wisshak M, Neumann C, Jakobsen J, Freiwald A (2009) The 'living-fossil community' of the cyrtocrinid Cyathidium foresti and the deep-sea oyster Neopycnodonte zibrowii (Azores Archipelago). Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 271:77–83

  • Zibrowius H (1974) Caryophyllia sarsiae n. Sp. and other recent deep-water Caryophyllia (Scleractinia) previously referred to little-known fossil species (C. arcuata, C. cylindracea). J Mar Biol Ass UK 54(4):769–784

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zibrowius H (1978) Observations biologiques au large du Lavandou (côte méditerranéenne de France) à l’aide du sous-marin Griffon de la Marine Nationale. Trav Sci Parc Natl Port-Cros 4:171–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Zibrowius H (1980) Les scléractiniaires de la Méditerrané et de l’Atlantique nord-occidental. Mem Instit Océanogr Monaco 11:1–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Zibrowius H (1981) Thanatocoenose pléistocène profonde à spongiaires et scléractiniaires dans la fosse Hellénique. In: Journées d’études sur la systématique évolutive et la biogéographie en Méditerranée. CIESM Monaco, Cagliari, pp 133–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Zibrowius H (1988) Scléractiniaires et polychètes Serpulidae des faunes bathyales actuelle et pléistocène de Méditerranée. In: Barrier P, Di Geronimo I, Montenat C (eds) Le détroit de Messine (Italie). Evolution tectono-sédimentaire récente (Pliocène et Quaternaire) et environnement actuel. Documents et travaux IGAL, pp 255–257

  • Zibrowius H (1990) La faune bathyale pléistocène de type atlantique en Méditerranée. GDR ECOPROPHYCE Lettre d’information 6:13–14

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the N/O l’Atalante captains and crews for their availability, J P Justiniano (Head of Mission), and the Nautile team (Y Potier and J Fenouil). We are most grateful to Dr. M Grasshoff (Senckenberg Institut-Germany) for his assistance concerning the Gorgonian identifications.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFREMER, Zone Portuaire de Brégaillon CS 20330, 83507, La Seyne-sur-Mer Cedex, France

    Stéphane Sartoretto

  2. Le Corbusier 644, 280 Boulevard Michelet, 13008, Marseille, France

    Helmut Zibrowius

Authors
  1. Stéphane Sartoretto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Helmut Zibrowius
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stéphane Sartoretto.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All applicable institutional, national and international guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

Additional information

Communicated by C. Smith

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sartoretto, S., Zibrowius, H. Note on new records of living Scleractinia and Gorgonaria between 1700 and 2200 m depth in the western Mediterranean Sea. Mar Biodiv 48, 689–694 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-017-0829-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-017-0829-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation