The carbonatic scleraxis of Corallium rubrum (L.), commonly known as red coral, is often found infested by excavating sponges. Traditionally, studies on the three-dimensional architecture of sponge bioerosion have been implemented by the application of invasive methods, mainly based on substrate removal. Here, for the first time, the bioerosion in the red coral was approached via micro-CT to better understand the development of channels and chambers of the sponge inside the coral scleraxis and to quantify the percentage of the eroded substrate.
D. pulchella mediterranea developed mainly in the external part of the coral skeleton, with a moniliform perforation pattern, characterised by numerous chambers organised in strings, and connected by constrictions in advanced erosion phases or long thin connecting ducts in the initial stages; commonly, these intersections present an L-, X-, or T-shape. The species produced chambers measuring 0.6–0.9 × 1.5–9.56 mm.
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