Info
Very special thanks to Dr. Gabriel Genzano, Argentina for his photos of this endemic gorgonian.
Tripalea clavaria is a species known so far only from the coast of the city of Mar del Plata in Argentina.
Colonies of Tripalea clavaria have a finger-shaped appearance, usually without branching, and are orange or pink in color.
Tripalea clavaria colonies are attached directly to rocks or, to a lesser extent, to molluscan shells at depths of > 14 m.
Tripalea clavaria is a zooplanktivorous gorgonian that feeds on a variety of organisms, especially larvae of the blue mussel Mytilus platensis d'Orbigny, 1842 (formerly Mytilus edulis platensi).
Female colonies are encountered much more frequently than male colonies, which could only be identified from February to June when sperm were present.
Synonym: Suberia clavaria Studer, 1878
Tripalea clavaria is a species known so far only from the coast of the city of Mar del Plata in Argentina.
Colonies of Tripalea clavaria have a finger-shaped appearance, usually without branching, and are orange or pink in color.
Tripalea clavaria colonies are attached directly to rocks or, to a lesser extent, to molluscan shells at depths of > 14 m.
Tripalea clavaria is a zooplanktivorous gorgonian that feeds on a variety of organisms, especially larvae of the blue mussel Mytilus platensis d'Orbigny, 1842 (formerly Mytilus edulis platensi).
Female colonies are encountered much more frequently than male colonies, which could only be identified from February to June when sperm were present.
Synonym: Suberia clavaria Studer, 1878
