Neptune veil
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Neptune's veil ( Reteporella grimaldii ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Reteporella grimaldii | ||||||||||||
| ( Jullien , 1903) |
The Neptune veil ( Reteporella grimaldii , Syn .: Reteporella septentrionalis Harmer , 1933, Sertella septentrionalis ) is a moss animal native to the Mediterranean and Atlantic. It lives in colonies made up of many individual specimens.
features
Colonies of the Neptune's veil reach a diameter of up to 10 cm. Colonies form with fragile, reticulated structures that stand upright. The color ranges from a subtle salmon pink to pale yellow. Dead colonies are quickly overgrown by green algae. The moss animal colony consists of lime.
distribution and habitat
The species is native to the entire Mediterranean . There is evidence for the East Atlantic and the British Isles.
The Neptune veil is a shadow- loving type of the circalitorial . In the shallow water, this colony of moss animals only grows in sheltered caves and crevices, as otherwise they can be damaged due to their fragility. At greater depths, the species can also be found on open surfaces. Smaller specimens often grow in the protected root area of the Neptune grass ( Posidonia oceanica ), which is only found in the Mediterranean .
behavior
The individual animals of a colony live in a solid shell into which they can withdraw in the event of disturbances or danger. The individuals in a boggy colony feed on very fine plankton, which is ingested by a tentacle crown. Other foods are organic substances that break down. There is a kind of division of labor among the individuals in the colonies: while one part is responsible for building the colony, another part is responsible for its reproduction.
Aquaristics
Like all moss animals, the Neptune veil is unsuitable for aquariums due to the demanding keeping requirements.
literature
- What lives in the Mediterranean? , Berbauer Humberg, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co.KG, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-440-11736-1 .
- Claus Valentin: Fascinating underwater world of the Mediterranean , 1986, ISBN 978-3-8263-8123-2
- Sea Fishes an Invertebrates of the Maltese Islands and the Mediterranean Sea , Lawson Wood, 2002
- The Dive Sites of Malta, Comino and Gozo , Lawson Wood, 1999
- Yves Paccalet, Sophie de Wilde: Mediterranean Encyclopedia of the Underwater World, Jahr-Verlag GmbH & Co., 1994
- Diving travel guide Malta , Verlag Stephanie Naglschmid, Stuttgart 1990
Web links
- Reteporella grimaldii at SeaLifeBase.
- WoRMS, World Register of Marine Species: Reteporella grimaldii (Jullien, 1903)
- MedRecover: Reteporella grimaldii , Database on species from Mediterranean coralligenous.