ZooKeys
Info
Psammogorgia teres was first described by Verrill in 1868, with the lectotype originating from the eastern Pacific waters of the Pearl Islands, Panamá.
According to Breedy and Guzman, the species also occurs in the Gulf of Chiriquí, Panamá.
The lectotype is a red-orange dry colony, which was lighter in color when alive (Verrill 1868b), measuring 25 cm long and 20 cm wide.
The colonies of the gorgonian are bushy and branch laterally and irregularly dichotomously.
Like all gorgonians of the East Pacific, Psammogorgia teres is azooxanthellate.
Recommendation - the coral should be kept in a species-specific tank.
Feeding
Gorgonians do not have zooxanthellae and do not live off light. Azooxanthellate gorgonians do not host symbiotic algae that produce nutrients and energy through photosynthesis.
The pumps should be switched off before feeding. In order for the gorgonian to survive in the aquarium, each individual polyp must be fed sufficiently, i.e. daily or 3-4 times a week. Without feeding, the gorgonian will not survive in the aquarium. The polyps need a certain amount of time to absorb the food (granules or dust food (Ultramarin, Cyclop Eeze) or frozen food (lobster eggs, mysis)). If shrimp and fish are present, they will try to steal the food, so it is essential to feed these cohabitants beforehand.
Newly introduced gorgonian sticks can be stimulated with a liquid food, e.g., PolypLab Polyp, to encourage the individual polyps to open. Only then can feeding be carried out.
The better the individual polyps take up the food provided, the better the growth and reproduction rates will be.
Azooxanthellate corals eat suspensions, marine snow, microplankton, and other organic matter, which is their natural food.
Unfortunately, we have been unable to obtain a photo of a living coral.
Similar species: Psammogorgia fucosa (Valenciennes, 1846)/
Note: WoRMS has classified the species Psammogorgia fucosa as “uncertain > nomen dubium” (08.2024).
Literature reference:
Breedy O, Guzman HM (2020)
A revision of the genus Psammogorgia Verrill, 1868 (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Octocorallia) in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean.
ZooKeys 961: 1-30. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.961.54846
According to Breedy and Guzman, the species also occurs in the Gulf of Chiriquí, Panamá.
The lectotype is a red-orange dry colony, which was lighter in color when alive (Verrill 1868b), measuring 25 cm long and 20 cm wide.
The colonies of the gorgonian are bushy and branch laterally and irregularly dichotomously.
Like all gorgonians of the East Pacific, Psammogorgia teres is azooxanthellate.
Recommendation - the coral should be kept in a species-specific tank.
Feeding
Gorgonians do not have zooxanthellae and do not live off light. Azooxanthellate gorgonians do not host symbiotic algae that produce nutrients and energy through photosynthesis.
The pumps should be switched off before feeding. In order for the gorgonian to survive in the aquarium, each individual polyp must be fed sufficiently, i.e. daily or 3-4 times a week. Without feeding, the gorgonian will not survive in the aquarium. The polyps need a certain amount of time to absorb the food (granules or dust food (Ultramarin, Cyclop Eeze) or frozen food (lobster eggs, mysis)). If shrimp and fish are present, they will try to steal the food, so it is essential to feed these cohabitants beforehand.
Newly introduced gorgonian sticks can be stimulated with a liquid food, e.g., PolypLab Polyp, to encourage the individual polyps to open. Only then can feeding be carried out.
The better the individual polyps take up the food provided, the better the growth and reproduction rates will be.
Azooxanthellate corals eat suspensions, marine snow, microplankton, and other organic matter, which is their natural food.
Unfortunately, we have been unable to obtain a photo of a living coral.
Similar species: Psammogorgia fucosa (Valenciennes, 1846)/
Note: WoRMS has classified the species Psammogorgia fucosa as “uncertain > nomen dubium” (08.2024).
Literature reference:
Breedy O, Guzman HM (2020)
A revision of the genus Psammogorgia Verrill, 1868 (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Octocorallia) in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean.
ZooKeys 961: 1-30. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.961.54846
