Distribution data supplied by the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). To interrogate UK data visit the NBN Atlas.Map Help
Researched by | Ruby Nash | Refereed by | Admin |
Authority | (Hincks, 1855) | ||
Other common names | - | Synonyms | Sertularia alata Hincks, 1855 |
Diphasia alata forms a robust feather-like colony. It is red to chocolate brown in colour and is generally 10 cm to 15 cm in height and 6 cm in width. The main stem is thick and straight with alternate side branches. These side branches give the colony a triangular shape with the branches at the base being longer than those at the apex. The feeding polyps are born on secondary branches (hydrocladium) that run roughly parallel. The wall of the cup around each polyp (the hydrotheca) is about three-quarters fused to the hydrocladium and arranged opposite each other.
Records of Diphasia alata are scattered through Britain and Ireland. Most records are from Northern Ireland with 'The Maidens' (a skerry off the north-east coast) being a stronghold for the species.
Diphasia alata is generally recorded in the northern hemisphere with records in west Norway, north west France, and the Azores.
Diphasia alata is found in relatively deep water on wave-exposed coasts and is commonly associated with bedrock and stable boulders.
Populations of Diphasia alata within Britain and Ireland are scarce. There have been rapid declines numbers with one of the major threats being indirect exploitation. For example, Diphasia alata is commonly associated with the scallop Pecten maximus, which is targeted by fisheries via dredging. Dredging can negatively impact the population structure of Diphasia alata and can cause mild, moderate and even severe disturbances to the benthic community (Goodwin et al., 2011a).
Cornelius, P.F.S., 1995b. North-west European thecate hydroids and their medusae. Part 2. Sertulariidae to Campanulariidae. Shrewsbury: Field Studies Council. [Synopses of the British Fauna no. 50]
Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (ed.) 2017. Handbook of the marine fauna of North-West Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lindeboom, H.J. & de Groot, S.J., 1998. The effects of different types of fisheries on the North Sea and Irish Sea benthic ecosystems. NIOZ Report 1998-1/RIVO-DLO, Report C003/98, p. 404., The Netherlands: Netherlands Institute for Sea Research.
Picton, B.E. & Morrow C.C., 2005. Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=D10920, 2008-01-08
Porter, J., 2012. Seasearch Guide to Bryozoans and Hydroids of Britain and Ireland. Ross-on-Wye: Marine Conservation Society.
NBN (National Biodiversity Network) Atlas. Available from: https://www.nbnatlas.org.
OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System), 2023. Global map of species distribution using gridded data. Available from: Ocean Biogeographic Information System. www.iobis.org. Accessed: 2023-03-25
This review can be cited as:
Last Updated: 23/02/2021