Yellow Sea Fan, Pacifigorgia Sp.
Yellow Sea Fan, Pacifigorgia Sp. Provided by the commercial fishermen in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, July 2009. Size: 30 cm (12 inches) x 28 cm (11 inches).
The Yellow Sea Fan, Pacifigorgia Sp., is an octocoral and a member of the Gorgoniidae Family of Gorgonians, that is known in Mexico as Abanico del mar amarilla. Members of the Pacifigorgia Genus are common but reside only in the waters of the Pacific with multiple hot spots off the coast of Ecuador and Panama. The Yellow Sea Fan has widely spaced interconnected branches that are yellowish in color with white polyps that can vary in height from 10 cm (3.9 inches) to 60 cm (2 feet 0 inches). They are found attached to offshore reefs and rocks at depths up to 26 m (85 feet).
The Yellow Sea Fan is found attached to off shore reefs and rocks at depths up to 30 m (100 feet). In Mexican waters they are poorly documented and poorly studied and their range is believed to be limited to the southern portions of the Sea of Cortez. Very little is known about the behavioral patterns of the Yellow Sea Fan.
Request for Help. This identification should be considered tentative due to the very remote location of the collection (Latitude 23oN and Longitude 110oW). I have found very little scientific focus on this area of the world and therefore supporting scientific documentation is not available. I welcome additional information on this coral from anyone who cares to contact me.