1. Gorgonia is a marine, colonial and shallow water Anthozoa. It is found along tropical and Sub-tropical shores on the rocks.
2. Found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, especially in Malay Archipelago, but are also common in the subtropical Atlantic-Bermuda, West Indies and Bahamas, etc.
3. Gorgonia is commonly known as sea fan.
4. The colony is yellowish or reddish in colour and consists of plant-like branching stems and a short main trunk attached to the substratum by a pedal disk.
5. The colony branches only in one plane in a feathery manner. The branches are united to one another by cross connections.
6. The base of the colony is expanded to form an attachment organ.
7. Numerous small anthocodia (retractile polyps) are found in rows on two sides of stems and branches.
8. Skeleton consists of an axial rod which extends throughout the colony and branches.
9. Axial rod is made up of a flexible horn-like material, gorgonin which is ectodermal in origin.
10. Gorgonia also contains numerous spicules in the mesogloea of the coenosarc.
Source:
1. Practical Zoology Invertebrates by S.S.Lal. 2. A Manual of Practical Zoology Chordates by Dr. P.S. Verma.
