The fauna associated with the bank-forming deepwater coral Lophelia pertusa (Scleractinaria) on the Faroe shelf

Twenty five blocks of Lophelia pertusa weighing a total of 18.5 kg were studied. Associated with this substrate were 4,626 individuals belonging to 256 species. An additional 42 species were identified from loose coral rubble. Of the 298 species found, 97 are recorded for the first time from the area around the Faroes. Most individuals were found in dead coral blocks from the inner parts of the bank or colony, but a few species were found close to the terminal branches of live coral blocks. The associated fauna of this branching deep-water coral was as rich and diverse as that of hermatypic branching species of coral. Comparing with studies of Lophelia banks from Norway and the Bay of Biscay we find very few overlaps in the associated species. A highly diverse and rich but facultative fauna is associated with the Lophelia banks