Table 1. The ten species under long-term study in Mediterranean coralligenous communities.

Species	*	**	Morphological description	Reproduction type	Geographic area and depths	Photographic Series	Half-life (year)
Aplysina cavernicola	S	M	Yellow-massive sponge, with irregular disposed digitate extensions	Gonochoric, oviparous, unknown larvae1	Mediterranean Sea. Dimly lit habitats3	5 yr	not reached yet
Chondrosia reniformis	S	M	Spoted sponge with dark-brown and white spots, lobate with firm consistency	Gonochoric, oviparous, unknown larvae1	Mediterranean & Atlantic. Dimly lit habitats. Depth range: up to 60 m3	15 yr	not reached yet
Haliclona fulva	S	E	Orange encrusting sponge, oscula at the end of short oscular chimeneys	Hermaphroditic, viviparous, swimming larvae1	Mediterranean & Atlantic coast (Guinea & Canary Islands). Dimly lit habitats3	5 yr	not reached yet
Petrosia ficiformis	S	M	From ficiform shaped to irregularly globular forms, with fused globes, red color due to cyanobacteria	Gonochoric, oviparous, swimming larvae1	Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic (Azores, Canary Islands, Cape Verd). Sublittoral vertical walls, caves, and crevices. Depth range: 10–40 m3	15 yr	not reached yet
Scalarispongia (Cacospongia) scalaris	S	M	Light to medium grey, massive sponge, with an unarmoured and conulose surface.	Unknown, viviparous, swimming larvae1	Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic (Portugal, Azores, Canary Islands). Dimly lit habitats (sublittoral vertical walls, caves, and crevices). Depth range: up to 60 m depth3	25 yr	not reached yet
Spirastrella cunctatrix	S	E	Soft-orange encrusting sponge, with vein-like surface canals	Supposedly gonochoric, oviparous, supposedly creeping larvae1	Mediterranean Sea. Dimly lit habitats3	15 yr	not reached yet
Alcyonium acaule	A	T	Red colonial alcyonacean with a massive treelike growth form	Gonochoric, surface brooder, planula larvae, limited dispersal capacity2	NW Mediterranean Sea. Dimly lit habitats (vertical and horizontal rocky bottoms). Depth range: 10–45 m2 , 4	15 yr	10 yr
Caryophyllia inornata	A	C	Solitary, azooxanthellate cup- coral	-	Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic (Manche, Azores, Canary Islands). Dimly lit habitats (vertical or overhanging rockfaces and sea caves). Depth range: from surface to 100 m8	25 yr	10 yr
Corallium rubrum	A	T	Red colonial octocorallian with arborecent growth form	Gonochoric, brooder, planula larvae, limited dispersal capacity5	Mostly W Mediterranean Sea but also occurs E Mediterranean and African Atlantic coast. Dimly lit habitats (caves, vertical cliffs and overhangs). Depth range: 10–800 m6	25 yr	not reached yet
Leptopsammia pruvoti	A	C	Solitary, azooxanthellate scleractinian coral	Gonochoric, brooder, planula larvae7	Mediterranean Sea and along Atlantic coast from Portugal to southern England. Dimly lit habitats (under overhands and sea caves). Depth range: from surface to 70 m depth8	5 yr	16 yr

¹A. Ereskovsky 1 (pers. comm.);

²N. Teixidó (unpubl. data);

³MJ. Uriz (pers. comm.),

⁴Gili et al. (1984),

⁵Vighi (1972),

⁶Zibrowius et al. (1984),

⁷Goffredo et al. (2006),

⁸Zibrowius (1980).

Species are ordered as a function of their group.

*Group: S: sponges; A: anthozoans.

**Growth forms: E encrusting; T tree; C cup: M mound.