Unveiling asexual reproductive traits in black corals: polyp bail-out in Antipathella subpinnata

Martina Coppari , Lara Fumarola , Lorenzo Bramanti (1) , Pascal Romans (2) , Rémi Pillot (3) , Giorgio Bavestrello , Marzia Bo

1 LECOB - Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des environnements benthiques
2 OOB - Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls
3 OOB - Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls

Cnidarians are known to undergo reverse development as a survival mechanism against adverse environmental conditions. Polyp bail-out consists in the polyps' detachment from the mother colony due to stressful conditions, followed by a complete tissue and cells rearrangement and in some cases in a regression into a simple, ciliated form. Here we describe a massive polyp bail-out event occurred in the mesophotic black coral Antipathella subpinnata in reared conditions. This is the first report of a bail-out event in this species providing new insights into the life cycle and ecology of black corals.

Mots clés: Antipatharians; Asexual reproduction; Bailout; Aquaria

Domaines: Biodiversité et Ecologie; Biologie animale; Zoologie des invertébrés

Martina Coppari, Lara Fumarola, Lorenzo Bramanti, Pascal Romans, Rémi Pillot, et al.. Unveiling asexual reproductive traits in black corals: polyp bail-out in Antipathella subpinnata. Coral Reefs, 2020, 39, ⟨10.1007/s00338-020-02018-1⟩. ⟨hal-02986281⟩