Sea plume (Antillogorgia elisabethae)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from SeaLifeBase, occurrence map from GBIF, description from Wikipedia.
Antillogorgia elisabethae is a species of soft coral found in the Caribbean Sea in the shape of a sea plume (also called a sea whip). It resides from depths of 25 m to 30 m, often at reef drop-offs. It looks like a plume of feathery appendages with radial symmetry. The branches of A. elisabethae are pinnate and distichous, and will orient themselves in the direction of the ocean current. It ranges in size from 0.3 m to 2 m. It is considered commercially important as it is harvested for analgesics and cosmetic creams. The compound that is believed to cause its beneficial effects is Pseudopterosin A, a diterpene glycoside, a selective analgesic. A. elisabethae is also used in fish tanks as a part of the commercial pet industry. The species has a Least Concern conservation status.
- Scientific name
- Antillogorgia elisabethae
- Authority
- (Bayer, 1961)
- Family
- Gorgoniidae
- Order
- Malacalcyonacea
- Depth range
- 2–23 m
- Habitat zone
- sessile
- Gbif occurrence records
- 40
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Cnidaria · Class: Octocorallia · Order: Malacalcyonacea · Family: Gorgoniidae · Genus: Antillogorgia.
Accepted name: Antillogorgia elisabethae · Authority: (Bayer, 1961) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 708862.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae Bayer, 1961.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=708862 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)
Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Antillogorgia elisabethae. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Depth range: 2–23 m · Habitat zone: sessile.
Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 44138) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Antillogorgia-elisabethae.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
40 georeferenced occurrence records for Antillogorgia elisabethae are published through GBIF from 9 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 16 distinct locations from a sample of 40 records, omitting 4 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Most records by country or area: Bahamas (10); United States of America (9); Jamaica (8); Colombia (3); Guadeloupe (3); Martinique (3); Panama (2); Cuba (1); Cayman Islands (1).
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 8230827) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=8230827&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=708862 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
The female exposes her eggs to the water current by placing them on her reproductive polyps. Sperm will eventually come into contact with the eggs, and the fertilized egg will develop into a planula in 1–2 days. The larvae form a colony on the parent for two to four days and then will become free-swimming. The free-swimming larvae are ciliated and bilaterally symmetric. Once the larvae become free-swimming, they will usually settle near the parent organism, as they are negatively buoyant and will sink to the ocean floor, where they grow into adults and continue the cycle. Its mating system is thus polygynandrous. The peak reproductive times for A. elisabethae are between November and January.
Source: Wikipedia: Antillogorgia elisabethae — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antillogorgia_elisabethae (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
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