Balanopsammia | |
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Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Cnidaria |
Class: | Anthozoa |
Order: | Scleractinia |
Family: | Dendrophylliidae |
Genus: |
Balanopsammia ?Ocana & ?Brito, 2013 |
Species: | B. wirtzi |
Binomial name | |
Balanopsammia wirtzi Ocana & Brito, 2013 |
Balanopsammia wirtzi is a species of corals found in the Atlantic waters around Cape Verde, western Africa and being the only species of the genus Balanopsammia which belongs to the family Dendrophylliidae (tree-leaved coral).
The species was first founded in the waters near Ponta Preta around Tarrafal Bay north of Tarrafal of the island of Santiago. Both the genus and the species were first named and described in 2013 by Ocaña & Brito and named it after Peter Wirtz who also founded and described several marine species in the area.
The coral species are founded mainly in the waters off the shores of the island of Santiago.