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It is commonly known by the names sea raft, by-the-wind sailor, purple sail, little sail, or simply Velella. [3] This small cnidarian is part of a specialised ocean surface community that includes the better-known cnidarian siphonophore, the Portuguese man o' war. Specialized predatory gastropod molluscs prey on these cnidarians.
The purple sea urchin, along with sea otters and abalones, is a prominent member of the kelp forest community. [18] The purple sea urchin also plays a key role in the disappearance of kelp forests that is currently occurring due to climate change; [19] when urchins completely eliminate kelp from an area, an urchin barren results.
Pisaster ochraceus, generally known as the purple sea star, ochre sea star, or ochre starfish, is a common seastar found among the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Identified as a keystone species , P. ochraceus is considered an important indicator for the health of the intertidal zone .
The dye is an organic compound of bromine (i.e., an organobromine compound), a class of compounds often found in algae and in some other sea life, but much more rarely found in the biology of land animals. This dye is in contrast to the imitation purple that was commonly produced using cheaper materials than the dyes from the sea snail. [2]
There is a light purple shade on the spire of the shell, and a darker purple on the ventral side. [9] The animal has a large head on a very flexible neck. The eyes are small and are situated at the base of its tentacles. The shell, which is violet, with a paler upper surface, is almost smooth, with a slightly depressed-globose shape. [6]
On April 6, 2020, the Schmidt Ocean Institute announced the discovery of a giant Apolemia siphonophore in submarine canyons near Ningaloo Coast, measuring 15 m (49 ft) diameter with a ring approximately 47 m (154 ft) long, possibly the largest siphonophore, and longest animal, ever recorded. [25] [26]
The purple sea fan is found in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, with a range extending from Bermuda and Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to Curaçao.It grows near the shore in shallow water in areas with strong wave action and on deeper outer reefs with strong currents down to a depth of about 15 m (49 ft).
Purple linckia: Linckia teres, or Tamaria stria: Yes: Difficult: 20 cm (7.9 in) Red Sea Star: Fromia millepora: Yes: Moderate: 15 cm (5.9 in) Red-knobbed starfish: Protoreaster linckii: No: 30 cm (11.8 in) Sand sifting sea star: Astropecten polyacanthus: Yes: Easy: Needs a large sandbed: 20 cm (7.9 in) Tiled sea star, marbled sea star: Fromia ...