Corallium rubrum Genome sequencing. Corallium rubrum

Corallium rubrum (family Coralliidae), the precious red coral used in jewelry, is an octocoral primarily found in the western Mediterranean Sea. It plays a key role in the well-known Mediterranean coralligenous ecosystem, a biodiversity hotspot. Similar to other red corals, it possesses a unique trait: it produce sclerites (tiny calcified elements) common to octocorals, but also a fully calcified axial skeleton of bright red color. Understanding how it produces this red skeleton is a central question in economics, culture, and biology.