Reproductive features of the deep-sea octocorals Dentomuricea aff. meteor and Viminella flagellum in the Azores

Deep-water octocorals form rich communities known as "coral gardens", considered priority habitats for protection. Despite their importance as habitat-builders, our knowledge on their reproductive biology is rarely available. The objective of this study was to collect data on reproductive parameters of two common habitat-forming octocorals in depths between 200 and 600: Dentomuricea aff. meteor and Viminella flagellum. Specimens were collected during 2010 and 2011 as by-catch from deep-sea long-line fisheries and scientific cruises and were histologically processed. Both species were found to be gonochoric, broadcast spawning with continuous gamete presence and overlapping reproductive cycles. The produced data include gamete presence, gamete size and polyp fecundity across different months during the study period.