Leptopsammia pruvoti

Researched By	Angus Jackson	Data Supplied By	MarLIN
Refereed by	Paul Tranter
Taxonomy
Scientific name	Leptopsammia pruvoti	Common name	Sunset cup coral
MCS Code	D804	Recent Synonyms	Leptopsammia microcardia
Phylum	Cnidaria	Subphylum
Superclass	Anthozoa	Class	Hexacorallia
Subclass		Order	Scleractinia
Suborder		Family	Caryophylliidae
Genus	Leptopsammia	Species	pruvoti
Subspecies
Additional Information	The synonym Leptopsammia microcardia was last used by Abel (1959) and Rutzler, 1966 despite the general recognition of their synonymy since 1954.
Taxonomy References	Hayward et al., 1996, Howson & Picton, 1997, Manuel, 1988, Anonymous, 1999(f), Zibrowius, 1980
General Biology
Growth form	Cylindrical, Radial	Feeding method	Predator, Passive suspension feeder
Mobility/Movement	Permanent attachment	Environmental position	Epifaunal, Epilithic
Typical food types	Zooplankton, organic particulates	Habit	Attached
Bioturbator	Not relevant	Flexibility	None (< 10 degrees)
Fragility	Fragile	Size	Small-medium(3-10cm)
Height	6 cm	Growth Rate	1.3 mm/year
Adult dispersal potential	None	Dependency	Independent
Sociability	Solitary
Toxic/Poisonous?	No
Additional Information	Younger individuals have a round calice which becomes elliptical with age. The skeleton is porous. It is not known whether the species is hermaphroditic or gonochoristic. The size range applies to maximum height of the corallum. The longest diameter of the calyx is 17 mm. Growth rate has been observed to be very slow in aquarium specimens which are little fed and in same seawater for several months (2 mm across calice after 18 months) but can be fast if fed and in continuous seawater supply (to 10 mm across calice after one year. (Paul Tranter, pers. comm.). Typically found as solitary individuals but may occur as several corallia from the same base forming 'pseudocolonies': during culture experiments, if any of the tissue overlying the skeletal column was lost, there would eventually appear, over a matter of weeks, one or more small polyps which would eventually form part of the 'parent' skeleton and give the impression of a naturally formed colony (Paul Tranter, pers. comm.). Leptopsammia pruvoti is known to have the ability to control and possibly 'farm' the bacterial content of its coelenteric cavity (Herndl & Velimirov, 1985). These bacteria could be used as an additional food source. The horseshoe worm Phoronis hippocrepia and the fan worm Potamilla reniformis bore into the base of the skeleton of Leptopsammia pruvoti and the bivalve Hiatella arctica further enlarges these boreholes. Once bored, the skeleton is weakened and corals may be easily detached.
Biology References	Manuel, 1988, Anonymous, 1999(f), Zibrowius, 1980, Herndl & Velimirov, 1985, Lacaze-Duthiers, 1897
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	Portland Bill, Lyme Bay, off Plymouth Sound, the Isles of Scilly and Lundy only. Believed to no longer occur in North Devon near Ilfracombe where it was present in 1969 (K. Hiscock, pers. comm.)
Global distribution	Found throughout the Mediterranean west of Cyprus and in the Adriatic. Also on the Atlantic coasts of SW England, the Channel Isles, Brittany and Portugal. It has not been recorded despite targeted survey in Madeira, the Azores, or the Canary Isles.
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	10-40 m
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information	This species is at the northern limit of its range possibly forming a relict from a larger previous distribution. It is now restricted to 'ideal' locations.
Substratum preferences	Small boulders, Bedrock, Large to very large boulders	Physiographic preferences	Open coast
Biological zone	Lower Infralittoral, Upper Circalittoral, Lower Circalittoral	Wave exposure	Exposed, Moderately Exposed, Sheltered
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Moderately Strong (1-3 kn), Weak (<1 kn), Very Weak (negligible)	Salinity	Full (30-40 psu)
Habitat Additional Information	None entered
Distribution References	Manuel, 1988, Anonymous, 1999(f), Zibrowius, 1980, Lacaze-Duthiers, 1897
Reproduction/Life History
Reproductive type	Gonochoristic	Developmental mechanism	Lecithotrophic
Reproductive Season	July to September	Reproductive Location	Water column
Reproductive frequency	Insufficient information	Regeneration potential	No
Life span	Insufficient information	Age at reproductive maturity	Insufficient information
Generation time	Insufficient information	Fecundity	Insufficient information
Egg/propagule size	Insufficient information	Fertilization type	External
Larvae/Juveniles Larval/Juvenile dispersal potential <10m Larval settlement period Insufficient information Duration of larval stage 1 day
Additional Information	Lifespan has not been established for this species but it is probably quite long lived. Individuals tend to die through weakening of the skeleton by boring organisms and subsequent detachment by agents such as foraging fish or careless divers. However, skeletons (dead individuals) have been found still attached to rocks (K. Hiscock, pers. comm.) Populations tend to become extinct through lack of recruitment. Lacaze-Duthiers, (1897) suggests that the sexes are separate. Eggs are laid in succession , at indefinite, fairly well-spaced intervals over a period of time that must be substantial (Lacaze-Duthiers, 1897). Larvae have been successfully produced in aquaria. The eggs are released from the female stomach cavity and those that are unfertilised may float to the surface. Fertilised eggs (young larvae) swim actively in the water column (K. Hiscock pers. comm..) but settle rapidly to the substratum close to the adult, where after a period of freedom they attach themselves in the shape of an ovoid or a ciliated worm (Lacaze-Duthiers, 1897). The larval settling time is generally short but observations from aquaria suggest that the larval stage may exist for up to six weeks before settling. Recruitment is very sporadic. Over 12 years of monitoring on Lundy has shown little or no recruitment and the population there declined by 22 percent between 1993 and 1997. Recruitment may fail for several reasons. Environmental conditions (primarily temperature) are unsuitable for gamete production to occur or to occur synchronously. Alternatively larvae may be swept away into unsuitable habitat by water currents or be consumed by predators before metamorphosing. Recruitment in the Mediterranean is also sporadic. Some recruitment may occur through influx of southern water bodies bringing with it larvae.
Reproduction References	Anonymous, 1999(f), Lacaze-Duthiers, 1897