European Journal of Taxonomy
Info
Calcigorgia lukini and its sister Calcigorgia herba are native to the cold and nutrient-rich Sea of Okhotsk around the Kuril Islands, a chain of more than 30 large and small islands of volcanic origin in East Asia.
The third sister Calcigorgia beringi is native to the likewise cold Bering Sea around the Aleutian Islands, which belong to Alaska.
All three gorgonians are azooxanthellate and depend on the capture of zooplankton for food and energy.
Corals in cold waters achieve a maximum growth of 1-2cm per year, so it can be quickly calculated how long it took the gorgonians to reach their above stated size.
Naming:
The species name "lukini" was given in honor of Dr. Vladimir Lukin, an avid researcher of marine biodiversity at the National Scientific Center for Marine Biology FEBRAS, who established a large collection in the Sea of Okhotsk in the 1980s.
Other known Calcigorgia species:
Calcigorgia gracilis Matsumoto, van Ofwegen & Bayer, 2019.
Calcigorgia gigantea Matsumoto, van Ofwegen & Bayer, 2019
Calcigorgia japonica Dautova, 2007
Calcigorgia matua Dautova, 2018
Calcigorgia pacifica Matsumoto, van Ofwegen & Bayer, 2019
Calcigorgia spiculifera Broch, 1935
No animals for a tropical marine aquarium!
The third sister Calcigorgia beringi is native to the likewise cold Bering Sea around the Aleutian Islands, which belong to Alaska.
All three gorgonians are azooxanthellate and depend on the capture of zooplankton for food and energy.
Corals in cold waters achieve a maximum growth of 1-2cm per year, so it can be quickly calculated how long it took the gorgonians to reach their above stated size.
Naming:
The species name "lukini" was given in honor of Dr. Vladimir Lukin, an avid researcher of marine biodiversity at the National Scientific Center for Marine Biology FEBRAS, who established a large collection in the Sea of Okhotsk in the 1980s.
Other known Calcigorgia species:
Calcigorgia gracilis Matsumoto, van Ofwegen & Bayer, 2019.
Calcigorgia gigantea Matsumoto, van Ofwegen & Bayer, 2019
Calcigorgia japonica Dautova, 2007
Calcigorgia matua Dautova, 2018
Calcigorgia pacifica Matsumoto, van Ofwegen & Bayer, 2019
Calcigorgia spiculifera Broch, 1935
No animals for a tropical marine aquarium!
