Yellow Cup Coral

Photo: Rino · CC BY-NC

The shaded overhangs and vertical faces of Stromboli's basalt wall host spectacular communities of yellow cup coral, their golden polyps extending fully in the current-rich water that bathes the volcano's flanks. These azooxanthellate corals grow slowly and indicate stable, well-oxygenated conditions that have persisted here for decades despite the volcano's activity. Their presence alongside deep-water sponge communities creates one of the most colourful wall communities in the Tyrrhenian Sea.