Whip fan

The whip fan (Eunicella albicans), also called the flagellar sea fan, is a species of gorgonian sea fan in the family Eunicellidae.^[2]

Whip fan
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Subphylum:	Anthozoa
Class:	Octocorallia
Order:	Alcyonacea
Family:	Gorgoniidae
Genus:	Eunicella
Species:	E. albicans
Binomial name
Eunicella albicans (Kolliker, 1865)[1]

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.^[3][4]

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 to this region.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}