Red Gorgonian

Photo: Erica Callegaro · © all rights reserved

Red gorgonian sea fans colonise Filicudi's wall from around 20 metres downward, forming a dense thicket of fan-shaped colonies that can exceed 1 metre across and represent decades of slow growth in the cold, current-rich water. These colonies are nurseries and feeding stations for numerous fish species including anthias, damselfish, and blennies that shelter within the fan branches. The red gorgonian communities at Filicudi have recovered from mass mortality events that struck shallower Tyrrhenian populations during heat anomaly years, reflecting the more stable temperatures at this depth and latitude.