Biodiversity & Conservation

Northern sea fan - Swiftia pallida - General information

Swiftia pallida

Image Anon. - A group of sea fans. Image width ca 30 cm.
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Distribution map

Swiftia pallida recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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  • UK_BAP

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Catherine Wilding and Emily Wilson Text page icon Refereed by:

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Cnidaria Sea anemones, corals, sea firs & jellyfish
Class Octocorallia
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland West coast of Scotland and the southwest Irish coast.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Found on rocks and boulders from depths of 15-60 m, most frequently below 20 m. Also recorded on coarse pebbles lying in coarse shell sand with silt. May occur at depths of 2380 m (see additional information).
Text page icon Description A small sea fan which forms slender colonies with little branching. Up to 20 cm tall but usually 7-10 cm. Branches are irregularly orientated. Colour white or greyish, sometimes with a pinkish tinge.

This review can be cited as follows:

Catherine Wilding and Emily Wilson 2009. Swiftia pallida. Northern sea fan. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 25/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=4407>