Smooth black coral

Leiopathes glaberrima

Corals and anemones
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth504–510 m
Water temperature9–28 °C
Best monthsOctober
How commonOccasional

About this species

Leiopathes glaberrima is a species of black coral of the order Antipatharia found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Seas deep water habitats. A very slow-growing species, it is among the oldest living animals on the planet.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Leiopathes glaberrima”, 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: 7 records
February: 7 records
March: 15 records
April: 7 records
May: 14 records
June: 25 records
July: 87 records
August: 222 records
September: 271 records
October: 1,523 records
November: 10 records
December: 1 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 504–510 m · Deepest record: 2,350 m

30–40 m: 1 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110–120 m: 0 records
120–130 m: 0 records
130–140 m: 0 records
140+ m: 2,166 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 9–28 °C

8–10 °C: 2 records
10–12 °C: 0 records
12–14 °C: 1 records
14–16 °C: 0 records
16–18 °C: 1 records
18–20 °C: 22 records
20–22 °C: 0 records
22–24 °C: 3 records
24–26 °C: 865 records
26–28 °C: 97 records
28–30 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

English: Smooth black coral, Black coral, smooth black coral, Smooth Black Coral

Names in 1 more languages

German: Glatte Schwarzkoralle

Other scientific names: Antipathes (Euantipathes) glaberrima, Antipathes glaberrima, Leiopathes dichotoma

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).
2,270 open-data records from 1868 to 2017.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.

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