Gorgonia is a genus of soft corals, sea fans in the family Gorgoniidae.
Aiptasia is a genus of a symbiotic cnidarian belonging to the class Anthozoa. Aiptasia is a widely distributed genus of temperate and tropical sea anemones of benthic lifestyle typically found living on mangrove roots and hard substrates. These anemones, as well as many other cnidarian species, often contain symbiotic dinoflagellate unicellular algae of the genus Symbiodinium living inside nutritive cells. The symbionts provide food mainly in the form of lipids and sugars produced from photosynthesis to the host while the hosts provides inorganic nutrients and a constant and protective environment to the algae. Species of Aiptasia are relatively weedy anemones able to withstand a relatively wide range of salinities and other water quality conditions. In the case of A. pallida and A. pulchella, their hardiness coupled with their ability to reproduce very quickly and out-compete other species in culture gives these anemones the status of pest from the perspective of coral reef aquarium hobbyists. These very characteristics make them easy to grow in the laboratory and thus they are extensively used as model organisms for scientific study. In this respect, Aiptasia have contributed a significant amount of knowledge regarding cnidarian biology, especially human understanding of cnidarian-algal symbioses, a biological phenomenon crucial to the survival of corals and coral reef ecosystems. The dependence of coral reefs on the health of the symbiosis is dramatically illustrated by the devastating effects experienced by corals due to the loss of algal symbionts in response to environmental stress, a phenomenon known as coral bleaching.
Cliona is a genus of demosponges in the family Clionaidae. It contains about eighty described species.
Ircinia is a genus of sea sponges in the family Irciniidae.
Amphimedon is a genus of sponges with over 60 described species. In 2009, Amphimedon queenslandica was the first species of sponge to have its genome sequenced.
Ptilocaulis is a genus of demosponges. The species within this genus are usually red or orange. They are often called tree sponges, as they grow many branches from a single stem resembling trees. They can grow to large size.
Allopathes is a genus of corals in the family Antipathidae. It is characterized by several long stems protruding from a short, thick base with spines arranged vertically around the stem. Its polyps are arranged in a single row that run the length of the coral. This genus was initially a subgenus of Cirrhipathes and Stichopathes, although it also displayed similarities to Antipathes verticillata. However, the presence of branched growth forms excludes it from Stichopathes or Cirrhipathes and the unique morphology of its spines meant that it could not be included in Allopathes. Because they seemed to have a combination of characteristics of different genera, the two species in question, Allopathes desbonni and Allopathes robillardi were given their own genus.
Leptogorgia is a genus of soft coral in the family Gorgoniidae. The genus has a widespread distribution with members being found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Western Europe to South Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic coasts of North and South America, the Antilles and the Pacific coast of America. Species are found in both shallow and deep waters.
Agelas is a genus of sea sponge in the class Demospongiae.
Aplysina insularis, commonly known as the yellow-green candle sponge or yellow candle sponge, is a species of sea sponge found on reefs in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
Plexauridae is a family of marine colonial octocorals in the phylum Cnidaria. Members of this family are found in shallow tropical and subtropical seas. Many species contain symbiotic photosynthetic protists called zooxanthellae.
Édouard Placide Duchassaing de Fontbressin was a French naturalist. He is noted for his work in botany and spongiology.
Callyspongia is a genus of demosponges in the family Callyspongiidae.
Niphatidae is a family of demosponges in the order Haplosclerida. It contains the following genera:
Neopetrosia proxima is a species of marine petrosiid sponge native to the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.
Chrysogorgia is a genus of soft corals in the family Chrysogorgiidae.
Agelas dispar is a species of demosponge in the family Agelasidae. It lives on shallow-water reefs in the Caribbean Sea and around the West Indies.
Smenospongia is a genus of demosponges in the family Thorectidae.
Spirastrella coccinea is a species of marine sponge in the family Spirastrellidae. It is found in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico.
