Table 1.
List of octocoral taxa used in the study, their collection depth, site, and total number of samples from shallow reefs and mesophotic coral ecosystems.
| Species | Collection depth (m) | Collection site | Number of specimens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cladiella sp. | Shallow: 3 | Princess Beach | 1* |
| Klyxum unitomii | Shallow: 3–6; MCE: 45–62 | EAPC_C, Princess Beach | 2 4 |
| Ovabunda sp. | Shallow: 5–10; MCE: 40–50 | IUI | 5 5 |
| Xenia sp. | MCE: 62 | IUI | 1* |
| Briareum hamrum | MCE: 55–60 | IUI | 2 |
| Anthelia glauca | MCE: 55–58 | IUI | 2 |
| Sarcophyton glaucum | MCE: 55–61 | IUI, Princess Beach | 4 |
| Sarcophyton auritum | MCE: 38–40 | EAPC_C, EAPC_N | 2 |
| Lobophytum depressum | MCE: 40–43, 56 | IUI, Dekel Beach | 3 |
| Rhytisma fulvum | Shallow: 2–10; MCE: 38–45 | IUI | 7 7 |
| Litophyton sp. | MCE: 38 | IUI | 1* |
| Litophyton savignyi | MCE: 38–45 | IUI | 6 |
| Litophyton arboreum | Shallow: 3–11 | IUI, Dolphin Reef | 7 |
| Sinularia hirta | MCE: 39, 58 | IUI, Princess Beach | 2 |
| Sinularia eilatensis | Shallow: 10–17; MCE 58–66 | IUI, EAPC_S, Dolphin Reef | 6 6 |
| Sinularia vrijmoethi | Shallow: 1–12; MCE: 40–50, 63 | IUI, EAPC_S; IUI, Princess Beach | 3 5 |
| Sinularia leptoclados | Shallow: 3–5; MCE: 64–65 | Princess Beach | 2 2 |
| Sinularia mesophotica | MCE: 60–67 | EAPC_C, Dolphin Reef | 3 |
| Sinularia loyai | MCE: 38–40 | IUI | 2 |
| Sinularia querciformis | MCE: 50, 67 | Dekel Beach, Dolphin Reef | 2 |
| Sinularia polydactyla | MCE: 49 | Dekel Beach | 1* |
IUI, interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat; EAPC, Eilat-Ashqelon Pipeline Company central beach, see Supplementary Figure S1 for exact locations. Asterisk indicates host species that were found only once in our surveys.