Slender sea pen

Distichoptilum gracile

Corals and anemones
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth87–2,698 m
Water temperature7–27 °C
Best monthsOctober
How commonOccasional

All species

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 7 records
February: 46 records
March: 70 records
April: 13 records
May: 13 records
June: 59 records
July: 32 records
August: 98 records
September: 42 records
October: 289 records
November: 73 records
December: 2 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 87–2,698 m · Deepest record: 3,361 m

10–20 m: 1 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 30 records
50–60 m: 6 records
60–70 m: 16 records
70–80 m: 10 records
80–90 m: 30 records
90–100 m: 224 records
100–110 m: 1 records
110–120 m: 0 records
120+ m: 434 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 7–27 °C

6–8 °C: 1 records
8–10 °C: 2 records
10–12 °C: 8 records
12–14 °C: 522 records
14–16 °C: 41 records
16–18 °C: 33 records
18–20 °C: 24 records
20–22 °C: 7 records
22–24 °C: 5 records
24–26 °C: 108 records
26–28 °C: 8 records

Names and classification

English: Slender sea pen, slender sea pen

Names in 1 more languages

French: pennatule gracile

Other scientific names: Distichoptilum verrillii, Juncoptilum alcocki

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
838 open-data records from 1882 to 2022.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

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