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The range of the gorgonian Paragorgia regalis extends primarily throughout the Pacific Ocean (based on collection records for specimens at NMNH).
Collection depths in Hawaiii and Japan range from 452 -1,840 m (Sánchez 2005), and 490 - 1910 meters (see Deep-Sea Coral Taxa in the Hawaiiian Archipelago and Other U.S. Pacific Islands: Depth and Geographical Distribution).
In 2016, the Exploration and Research of Northern Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Natural and Artificial Hard-Bottom Habitats with Emphasis on Coral Communities: Reefs, Rigs, and Wrecks-"Lophelia II" resulted in a discovery report of a large colony of Paragorgia regalis from the Gulf of Mexico in the western Atlantic Ocean.
This azooxanthellate gorgonian forms abundant branching colonies up to 300 mm long with slender terminal branches up to 2 - 4 mm in diameter.
A few long side branches extend from the main branches, which have a club-like appearance, autozooid polyps are found on all sides of the branches.
Synonym: Paragorgia dendroides Bayer, 1956
Collection depths in Hawaiii and Japan range from 452 -1,840 m (Sánchez 2005), and 490 - 1910 meters (see Deep-Sea Coral Taxa in the Hawaiiian Archipelago and Other U.S. Pacific Islands: Depth and Geographical Distribution).
In 2016, the Exploration and Research of Northern Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Natural and Artificial Hard-Bottom Habitats with Emphasis on Coral Communities: Reefs, Rigs, and Wrecks-"Lophelia II" resulted in a discovery report of a large colony of Paragorgia regalis from the Gulf of Mexico in the western Atlantic Ocean.
This azooxanthellate gorgonian forms abundant branching colonies up to 300 mm long with slender terminal branches up to 2 - 4 mm in diameter.
A few long side branches extend from the main branches, which have a club-like appearance, autozooid polyps are found on all sides of the branches.
Synonym: Paragorgia dendroides Bayer, 1956
