Description: Forms elongated, very slender colonies with narrow "leaves" bearing polyps. Colour yellowish or whitish; capable of luminescence in darkness. Up to 600mm long with central stem only a few mm thick. All sea-pens possess an internal calcareous skeletal rod (axis): in this species it is round in section and often protrudes from the top of the colony.

Habitat: Lives embedded in mud, into which it can withdraw. Occurs in sheltered localities in depths greater than about 5 m.

Distribution: All coasts of Britain and Ireland, locally abundant. Generally distributed around western Europe and in the north Atlantic, also in the Mediterranean.

Similar Species: Only Funiculina quadrangularis is similar but its polyps are not arranged in "leaves" and its axis is square in section.

Key Identification Features:

• Long, slender form.
• Polyps on 'leaves'.
• Whitish or yellowish colour.

Distribution Map from NBN: Virgularia mirabilis at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Virgularia mirabilis at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Virgularia mirabilis at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Virgularia mirabilis (Müller, 1776). AphiaID: 128539.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Cnidaria; Anthozoa; Octocorallia; Scleralcyonacea; Pennatuloidea; Virgulariidae; Virgularia