Hawaiian gold coral

Kulamanamana haumeaae

Corals and anemones
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth353–494 m
Water temperature8–29 °C
Best monthsSeptember, October, and November
How commonOccasional

About this species

Hawaiian gold coral is a rare, extremely long-lived deep-sea coral found on seamounts near Hawaii. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Kulamanamana. Most colonies can live up to 2,470 years, based on a study using radiocarbon dating. In the Hawaiian Archipelago of the North Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian gold coral is a crucial species to the ecology of Hawaiian seamounts. This is because it is a dominant macro-invertebrate found in the deep sea, and thus provides an important habitat for an array of invertebrates and fish. Gold coral tissue is reflective under light, and colonies are bioluminescent when mechanically stimulated, or touched. It is predicted that this bioluminescence perhaps attracts prey, however more research is needed to determine exactly what purpose it serves. Although it has been harvested commercially for use in jewelry for a long time, it was not formally described by taxonomists until 2012 when it was found to be related to both the genus Savalia and the octocoral-associated zoanthid, Corallizoanthus tsukaharai. Prior to being formally classified and named Kulamanamana haumeaae, the Hawaiian gold coral was previously known as Gerardia sp.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Hawaiian gold coral”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 1 records
February: 5 records
March: 29 records
April: 5 records
May: 3 records
June: 78 records
July: 147 records
August: 169 records
September: 674 records
October: 968 records
November: 1,009 records
December: 76 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 353–494 m · Deepest record: 1,905 m

160–170 m: 2 records
170–180 m: 0 records
180–190 m: 0 records
190–200 m: 0 records
200–210 m: 0 records
210–220 m: 0 records
220–230 m: 0 records
230–240 m: 0 records
240–250 m: 0 records
250–260 m: 0 records
260–270 m: 0 records
270+ m: 3,165 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 8–29 °C

6–8 °C: 1 records
8–10 °C: 0 records
10–12 °C: 0 records
12–14 °C: 3 records
14–16 °C: 0 records
16–18 °C: 1 records
18–20 °C: 1 records
20–22 °C: 1 records
22–24 °C: 24 records
24–26 °C: 908 records
26–28 °C: 40 records
28–30 °C: 21 records

Names and classification

English: Hawaiian gold coral

Similar species

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.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
3,183 open-data records from 1970 to 2024.
Species data updated November 3, 2026.

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