The basket star Astrospartus mediterraneus is an ophiuroidea typical of the Mediterranean coralligenous habitat, it lives from 30 m up to several hundred meters depth often associated with gorgonians and corals of which it benefits from their height in order to have a better chance of picking up food carried by the current.
Despite this wonderful sighting, during the dive, we noticed the suffering conditions of the gorgonians many of which showed signs of necrosis.
It is sad to realise that in the future the loss of these organisms, on which the complexity of coralligenous habitat depends, would lead to the loss of all the associated fauna, depriving us of the opportunity to study, observe and understand them.
