78 



NOAA Technical Report NMFS 140 



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GRAMS 

 PER SQUARE METER 



ALCYONARIA 



Figure 39 

 Geographic distribution of Alcyonaria: A — number of specimens per square meter of 

 bottom; B — biomass in grams per square meter of bottom. 



These organisms displayed many variations of color 

 pattern and hue. Some small species and main larger forms 

 had tentacles that were transparent or whitish. Body colors 

 were mosdy tan, flesh colored, or reddish-brown; a few 

 were orange, red, or another somewhat similar bright color. 



Stony corals of both solitary and colonial types oc- 

 curred but neither type was common. 



Commensalism was common among the Actiniaria 

 and Zoanthidea, particularly in association with hermit 

 crabs and decapod shrimps. 



Occupancy of diverse habitats characterized the New 

 England zoantharians. They occurred in a wide variety 

 of substrates, and were distributed over broad ranges of 

 water depth and temperature. 



