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There are few data on the reproductive biology of coral species living in temperate zones, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea. Leptopsammia pruvoti is a solitary coral that is commonly found in sea caves and under overhangs throughout the Mediterranean basin and along European coasts from Portugal to southern England. In this paper, we describe its annual reproductive cycle in the eastern Ligurian Sea near the city of Leghorn (Tuscany, Italy). Polyps were sexually mature at 3 mm in length (maximum diameter of the oral disc), were dioecious with a sex ratio of 1:1, and brooded their larvae. The maturation of spermaries took 12 months and oocytes 24 months. The rate of gonad development increased significantly from November to January, fertilization occurred from January to April and planulation during May and June. Seasonal variations in water temperature and photoperiod may have played an important role in regulating reproductive events. The amount of energy devoted to male gametogenesis (quantified by gonad index) was significantly higher in the sex separated species L. pruvoti than in the hermaphroditic dendrophylliid Balanophyllia europaea, whose reproduction has been studied in a previous work. We hypothesize that this difference is due to the contrasting sexuality or fertilization biology of these two species (cross-fertilization in the sex separated L. pruvoti versus possibly self-fertilization in the hermaphroditic B. europaea). Greater male sexual allocation in reproductive strategies characterized by dioecism or cross-fertilization when compared to those characterized by hermaphroditism or self-fertilization is common in plant mating systems. In relation to other solitary dendrophylliids, L. pruvoti presents an ‘r’-reproductive strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the reproduction in scleractinian solitary corals and in those living in temperate zones is notably scant. Leptopsammia pruvoti is a solitary coral living in the Mediterranean Sea and along Atlantic coasts from Portugal to southern England. This coral lives in shaded habitats, from the surface to 70 m in depth, reaching population densities of>17,000 individuals m−2. In this paper, we discuss the morphological aspects of sexual reproduction in this species. In a separate paper, we report the quantitative data on the annual reproductive cycle and make an interspecific comparison of reproductive traits among Dendrophylliidae aimed at defining different reproductive strategies. The present study on L. pruvoti is the first in-depth investigation of the reproductive biology of a species of this genus. As expected for a member of the family Dendrophylliidae, L. pruvoti is a gonochoric and brooding coral. The gastrodermal tissue of the gametogenetic mesenteries we examined was swollen and granular, which led us to hypothesize that interstitial cells could have a trophic function favoring gametogenesis. Undifferentiated germ cells arose in the gastrodermis and subsequently migrated to the mesoglea, where they completed gametogenesis. During spermary development, spermary diameter increased from a minimum of 14 μm during the immature stages to a maximum of 410 μm during the mature stages. As oogenesis progressed, we observed a gradual reduction in the nucleus to cytoplasm ratio due to the steady synthesis of yolk. During the final stages of oogenesis, after having migrated to the extreme periphery of the oocyte and having firmly adhered to the oolemma, the nucleus became indented, assuming a sickle or dome shape. We can hypothesize that the nucleus’ migration and change of shape may have to do with facilitating fertilization and determining the future embryonic axis. During oogenesis, oocyte diameter increased from a minimum of 20 μm during the immature stage to a maximum of 680 μm when mature. Embryogenesis took place in the coelenteron. We did not see any evidence that even hinted at the formation of a blastocoel; embryonic development proceeded via stereoblastulae with superficial cleavage. Gastrulation took place by delamination. Early and late embryos had diameters of 204–724 μm and 290–736 μm, respectively. When released, the larvae had completed ontogenesis and swam by a ciliary movement with the aboral pole at the anterior, their shape varied from spherical to cylindrical (in the latter the oral–aboral axis measured 695–1,595 μm and the transversal one measured 267–633 μm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]