Species diversity
Species belonging to this family of Coralliidae typically inhabit tropical, subtropical and temperate oceans regions within oceans around the world. Unlike corals which can be found in shallow waters, these precious corals can be found in greater depths of 60m to 2000 m. Most species can be found in large numbers around the west and central Pacific, including the surrounding seas of New Caledonia, Taiwan Province of China, Japan and the Hawaiian Archipelago. Species diversity of this family of corals is decreased in the Atlantic, Indian, and eastern Pacific oceans. However, corals of the Hemicorallium and Paracorallium genera can be found in abundance around the seamounts around Japan and China. Likewise the corals of the genera Corallium are widespread along the Mediterranean and the neighboring Atlantic coasts and is primarily seen around the central and western basin. Whereas population tends to decrease in deeper water in the eastern basin and around the Canary islands, southern Portugal and Caper Verde island. The two places to date that have been reported to have high levels of species diversity and exploited populations are the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Atlantic, together with the northern Pacific Ocean.