Black Coral
Antipathes grandis
Sighting evidence at Nu'u Safata Lagoon Wall, Apia, Samoa
Black coral colonies on the Safata wall begin at around 20 m and grow progressively larger with depth, hosting communities of longnose hawkfish and allied species that perch among the branches to ambush zooplankton. These slow-growing cnidarians can live for several hundred years and their presence is a good indicator that anchor damage and trawling have been absent from this reef section.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Black Coral is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.