PRELIMINARY BIOMETRICAL STUDY OF EUNICELL A-SINGULARIS (ESPER, 1794) (GORGONACEA, ANTHOZOA) FROM AEGEAN SEA

Using SCUBA, 105 gorgonian colonies of Eunicella singularis were sampl ed randomly from Eleutherides islands (Strimonikos Golf, North Aegean sea), within a depht range of -5m to -18m. The temperature was 26 degr ees C at -10m and 20 degrees C at -18m. The normality test demonstrate a significant unimodal distribution for the length (L: t = 0.123, p = 0.103, n = 105), the number of dichotomies (nb. dich. : t = 0.164, p = 0.047, n = 105), the dry weight (P.S.: t = 0.214, p = 0.021, n = 105 ) and the surface (S: t = 0.160, p = 0.118, n = 55). Multiple regressi on analysis demonstrates also the importance of the number of dichotom ies and the values of the surface at determination of the dry weight ( biomass). Highly significant allometric relathionships, were determina ted between Height/Lenght-Dry Weight (H/L = 0.5 x P.S.(-0.3) [n = 105, r = 0.7, F = 124.6, p = 0.0001]), Surface-Dry Weight (S = 3.1 x P.S.( 0.3) [n = 55, r = 0.9, F = 293.8, p = 0.0001]) and Surface-Number of d ichotomies (S = 2.3 x nb. dich.(1) [n = 105, r = 0.9, F = 227.9, p = 0 .0001]).