Petr Myska
Info
Ptilosarcus undulatus is a sea feather whose distribution is limited to the eastern Pacific, where it occurs from the Gulf of California/Baja California to Peru in South America.
Fleshy sea pens are colonial animals with a flattened central stem that they use to anchor themselves in soft substrates.
The stem also provides the necessary strength to keep the colony upright. The lobes or “leaves” are thick and fleshy.
The feather is about three times as high as it is wide.
Colouring:
Ptilosarcus undulatus is cream-coloured with a brown to orange edge.
The sea feather is rarely observed by divers, but quickly retreats into the sand when disturbed.
Unfortunately, the sea feather is occasionally caught as bycatch in shrimp trawl nets and is usually crushed in the net.
Predators:
Although Ptilosarcus undulatus can quickly retreat into the sandy bottom, it is still frequently preyed upon by the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758) and eaten by the nudibranch Histiomena convolvula (Lance, 1962).
Reproduction:
Ptilosarcus undulatus can reproduce asexually through fragmentation or budding, or sexually.
We would like to thank Petr Myska for his great photo of this sea feather.
Leioptilum solidum Broch, 1910 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Leioptilum undulatum Verrill, 1865 · unaccepted > superseded combination (original combination)
Leioptilum verrilli (Pfeffer, 1886) · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Leioptilus undulatus (Verrill, 1865) · unaccepted > superseded combination
Leioptilus verrillii (Pfeffer, 1886) · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Lioptilum verrillii Pfeffer, 1886 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Pennatula undulata (Verrill, 1865) · unaccepted > superseded combination
Fleshy sea pens are colonial animals with a flattened central stem that they use to anchor themselves in soft substrates.
The stem also provides the necessary strength to keep the colony upright. The lobes or “leaves” are thick and fleshy.
The feather is about three times as high as it is wide.
Colouring:
Ptilosarcus undulatus is cream-coloured with a brown to orange edge.
The sea feather is rarely observed by divers, but quickly retreats into the sand when disturbed.
Unfortunately, the sea feather is occasionally caught as bycatch in shrimp trawl nets and is usually crushed in the net.
Predators:
Although Ptilosarcus undulatus can quickly retreat into the sandy bottom, it is still frequently preyed upon by the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758) and eaten by the nudibranch Histiomena convolvula (Lance, 1962).
Reproduction:
Ptilosarcus undulatus can reproduce asexually through fragmentation or budding, or sexually.
We would like to thank Petr Myska for his great photo of this sea feather.
Leioptilum solidum Broch, 1910 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Leioptilum undulatum Verrill, 1865 · unaccepted > superseded combination (original combination)
Leioptilum verrilli (Pfeffer, 1886) · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Leioptilus undulatus (Verrill, 1865) · unaccepted > superseded combination
Leioptilus verrillii (Pfeffer, 1886) · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Lioptilum verrillii Pfeffer, 1886 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Pennatula undulata (Verrill, 1865) · unaccepted > superseded combination
