Chrysogorgiidae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chrysogorgiidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chrysogorgia sp. | |
 | |
| Iridogorgia magnispiralis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Octocorallia |
| Order: | Scleralcyonacea |
| Family: | Chrysogorgiidae Verrill, 1883 |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Chrysogorgiidae is a family of soft corals in the suborder Scleralcyonacea.[1]
Currently the only fossil record for the family are specimens tentatively identified as a member of the genus Radicipes from the Oligocene epoch. It was found in deep-water strata in western Washington State, USA.[citation needed]
It is a widely distributed family being found worldwide in deep-sea environments. Most species are found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans with only a reports from the Indian Ocean.[2] Chrysogorgiids are the most abundant family of corals on deep sea seamounts southwest of Hawaii.[3]
