Biometric traits of Lophelia pertusa corallites across a broad Atlantic and Mediterranean range

Vegetative and morphometric corallite traits were quantified on skeletal samples of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa. The aim was to characterize the morphological diversity of this species at the level of corallites. Morphometric measurements were taken with caliper and tape measure in two replicates, in order to be averaged to reduce measurement error. The analyzed skeletal samples had been collected from various locations in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea during multiple cruises, and are kept at the Senckenberg am Meer (SaM) institute in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.