Bumpy Orange Gorgonian, Eugorgia aurantica
Bumpy Orange Gorgonian, Eugorgia aurantica. Provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, July 2009. Size: 15 cm (5.9 inches).
Bumpy Orange Gorgonian, Eugorgia aurantica. Coral provided by the commercial fishermen of the Greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, June 2009. Size: 18 cm (7.1 inches).
Phylogeny: The Bumpy Orange Gorgonian, Eugorgia aurantica, is an octocoral and a member of the Gorgoniidae Family of Gorgonians of soft corals, that is known in Mexico as naranja lleno de baches gorgonea.
Morphology: The Bumpy Orange Gorgonian, is a branching, tree-like shallow-water coral, characterized by their orange color with white polyps and very bumpy branches and short side branches. They reach a maximum of 80 cm (2 feet 7 inches) in height. The stems and branches have a single skeleton that attaches to the rocky substrate via a single holdfast. They branch laterally near the base, but not in single planes; toward the top they branch pinnately.
Habitat and Distribution: The Bumpy Orange Gorgonian is found off-shore in clean, plankton-rich waters at depths up to 30 m (100 feet) in rocky sub-tidal zones. In Mexican coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean they range from Guerrero Negro southward along the central and southwest coasts of Baja, and throughout the Sea of Cortez.
Diet: The Bumpy Orange Gorgonian is a nocturnal filter feeder with each polyp being equipped with eight tentacles that are used to catch plankton and other types of organic matter found in the currents.
Ecosystem Interactions: The Gorgonian Wrapper Anenome, Nemanthus annamensis, is often found attached to the Bumpy Orange Gorgonian. This organism is preyed upon by the Convolvula Nudibranch, Histiomena convolvula.
Similar Species: The Bumpy Orange Gorgonian can be easily confused with the Red Gorgonian, Eugoria daniana (has more elongated branches that lack bumps).
Synonyms: Eugorgia ferreri, Eugorgia mexicana, Gorgonia (Eugorgia) mexicana, Gorgonia aurantiaca, Lophogorgia aurantiaca.
Request for Help: This identification should be considered tentative due to the very remote location of the collection (Latitude 23oN and Longitude 110oW). We have found very little scientific focus on this area of the world and therefore supporting scientific documentation is not available. We welcome additional information on this coral from anyone who cares to contact us.