Funiculina quadrangularis

Researched By	Olwen Ager	Data Supplied By	MarLIN
Refereed by	This information is not refereed.
Taxonomy
Scientific name	Funiculina quadrangularis	Common name	The tall sea pen
MCS Code	D615	Recent Synonyms	None
Phylum	Cnidaria	Subphylum
Superclass	Anthozoa	Class	Octocorallia
Subclass		Order	Pennatulacea
Suborder		Family	Funiculinidae
Genus	Funiculina	Species	quadrangularis
Subspecies
Additional Information
Taxonomy References	Howson & Picton, 1997, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Manuel, 1988, Hayward et al., 1996
General Biology
Growth form	Pinnate	Feeding method	Passive suspension feeder
Mobility/Movement	Temporary attachment	Environmental position	Epibenthic, Epifaunal
Typical food types	Plankton and organic particles	Habit	Attached
Bioturbator	Not relevant	Flexibility	Low (10-45 degrees)
Fragility	Intermediate	Size	Large(>50cm)
Height	Up to ca 2 m	Growth Rate	Insufficient information
Adult dispersal potential	No information found	Dependency	Independent
Sociability	Colonial
Toxic/Poisonous?	No
Additional Information	Flexibility Eno et al. (1996) found that the tall sea pen bends away from lobster creels dropped on of them in a passive response to the pressure wave travelling ahead of the pot. Associated species The deep-water brittlestar, Asteronyx loveni, which has been recorded sporadically from the west coast of Scotland (Hughes, 1998b), is known to use its arms to cling to Funiculina quadrangularis (Fujita & Ohta, 1988).
Biology References	Eno et al., 1996, Hughes, 1998(b), Jones et al., 2000, Fujita & Ohta, 1988
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	West and north coasts of Ireland and Scotland.
Global distribution	Funiculina quadrangularis occurs in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. It has been recorded in New Zealand (Manuel, 1988) and Japan (Fujita & Ohta, 1988).
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	20-2000m
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information
Substratum preferences	Mud, Muddy sand	Physiographic preferences	Open coast, Sealoch
Biological zone	Upper Circalittoral, Lower Circalittoral	Wave exposure	Sheltered, Very Sheltered, Extremely Sheltered, Ultra Sheltered
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Weak (<1 kn), Very Weak (negligible)	Salinity	Full (30-40 psu)
Habitat Additional Information
Distribution References	Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Manuel, 1988, Hayward et al., 1996, Hughes, 1998(b), Fujita & Ohta, 1988
Reproduction/Life History
Reproductive type	Gonochoristic	Developmental mechanism	Insufficient information
Reproductive Season	Insufficient information	Reproductive Location	Insufficient information
Reproductive frequency	Insufficient information	Regeneration potential	No
Life span	See additional information	Age at reproductive maturity	See additional information
Generation time	See additional information	Fecundity	Insufficient information
Egg/propagule size	Insufficient information	Fertilization type	Insufficient information
Larvae/Juveniles Larval/Juvenile dispersal potential Insufficient information Larval settlement period Insufficient information Duration of larval stage Insufficient information
Additional Information	Sexes in sea pens are separate; each colony of polyps are either male or female. Hughes (1998b) suggests, using the information from other species of seapen, that Funiculina quadrangularis may follow a similar pattern of patchy recruitment, slow growth and a long life span. Birkeland (1974) found the life span of Ptilosarcus gurneyi to be 15 years, reaching sexual maturity between the ages of 5 and 6 this may be similar in Funiculina quadrangularis
Reproduction References	Hughes, 1998(b), Birkeland, 1974