Red coral [1] [2] , or noble coral [1] [2] ( lat. Corallium rubrum ) is a species of coral polyps from the order of horn corals ( Gorgonacea ). A sedentary colonial animal of the gorgonaria order of the coral polyp class. The axial skeleton of the colony is formed as a result of the merger of calcareous spicules, colored with organic pigment in red or pink, occasionally - blue and black.
| Red coral |
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| Scientific classification |
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| Subclass : | Eight-Beam Coral |
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| International scientific name |
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Corallium rubrum
( Linnaeus , 1758) |
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It lives at a depth of 10-200 meters in the Mediterranean Sea (off the coast of Italy, Algeria , Tunisia , Morocco ), the Red Sea, off the coast of Japan, Malaysia, Australia, in the Hawaiian Islands. It forms branched colonies that are firmly attached to rocky soil. The polyps are white, equipped with a corolla of 8 cirrus tentacles. Red corals are in the form of small leafless shrubs and can grow up to a meter in height.
Red corals are used to make jewelry and as such are valued more than other types of corals. Red corals have been appreciated since ancient times.
Skeleton branch of red coral
