The whip fan (''Eunicella albicans''), also called the flagellar sea fan, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of gorgonian sea fan in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Eunicellidae.McFadden, C.S.; Cordeiro, R.; Williams, G.; van Ofwegen, L. (2023). World List of Octocorallia. ''Eunicella albicans'' (Kölliker, 1865). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=213054 on 2023-10-26

Description

This fan is orange and has flexible whip-like branches. It may grow up to 70 cm tall and have branches of 0.3 to 0.5 cm wide.Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. 2010. ''Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa'' Jones, Georgina. ''A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula.'' SURG, Cape Town, 2008.

Distribution

This sea fan is found only around the South African coast from the Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsula to Port Elizabeth in 10–30 m of water. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to this region.

Ecology

This sea fan is preyed upon by the whip fan nudibranch, ''Duvaucelia odhneri'', previously known as ''Tritonia nilsodhneri'', which closely resembles the feeding fan.

References

Gorgoniidae Animals described in 1865 {{octocorallia-stub