Cushion Coral
In this video
Cladocora caespitosa, commonly known as cushion coral, (Linnaeus, 1758) is a large madrepore of the order Madreporari, subclass Hexacorallia, Class Anthozoans (Philum Cnidaria). Shape of the colonies similar to rounded pillows that in some cases can reach the meter in diameter and weigh tens of kilograms. This endemic madrepore of the Mediterranean Sea lives attached to the rocks at a depth of between 5 and 25 meters of depth, but we can find it almost in contact with the surface and even several hundred meters of depth; there are reports of sightings well over 500 meters. madrepora a cuscino
The Cladocora is increased by bud at the base of the individual polyps, the young polyps grow up to reach the original octopus and tend to thicken creating that beautiful pillow shape that we show in our movie. The colonies grow through budding, but the species spreads through the settlement of plankton-like larva on seabed suited to colonisation. Cladocora caespitosa is classified as endangered under the IUCN red list, mostly based on recent mass die-offs caused by heat wave events in the Mediterranean.
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