Italian researchers find rare black coral forest

Reuters 17 Sep 09;

ROME (Reuters) - Italian researchers said on Thursday they had found one of the largest forests of rare black coral in the world off southern Italy and a related coral species never before studied in its natural habitat.

Investigators said they used a remote-controlled submarine to film the forest of Antipathes subpinnata coral, spanning an area the size of two soccer pitches, submerged at a depth of 50-100 meters between mainland Italy and the island of Sicily.

Officials said they were not disclosing the exact location of the discovery for fear that treasure hunters could plunder the rare coral, used to make jewelry.

"The coral we found has a great value, primarily because of its rarity," said Silvestro Greco, head of the environment agency for the southern Italian region of Calabria.

"If somebody with no conscience knew exactly where they were, I think there would be risks. That's why we have not really disclosed where they are."

Black coral's living tissue is brightly colored, but it takes its name from the distinctive black or dark brown color of its skeleton, highly prized as an adornment. It is listed as endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Simone Canese, chief researcher of the 1 million euro exploration project which has been running since 2005, said progress in underwater technology was permitting breakthroughs in the filming and study of new marine habitats.

"We found an extremely rare species of black coral, 'Antipathes dicotoma', that had never been observed alive in its environment. There were only 5 fragments of it kept in museums," Canese told Reuters.

"With the recent increase in underwater exploration, more of them may be discovered but we have provided the first images of them, alive, in their environment."

The discoveries were made in the Strait of Messina, which separates Sicily from mainland Italy, close to the town of Scilla. The waterway was held to be the home in Greek mythology of sea monster Scylla, which together with Charybdis menaced ships in the channel.

(Reporting by Daniel Flynn and Antonio Denti; editing by Philippa Fletcher)