| Erythropodium caribaeorum | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Erythropodium caribaeorum in the Aquarium de La Rochelle | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Octocorallia |
| Order: | Alcyonacea |
| Family: | Anthothelidae |
| Genus: | Erythropodium |
| Species: | E. caribaeorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Erythropodium caribaeorum (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860) [1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Erythropodium caribaeorum, commonly known as the encrusting gorgonian or encrusting polyps, is a species of soft coral in the family Anthothelidae. It inhabits coral reefs and rocky bottoms in the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Florida, growing at depths of 0.5 to 25 metres. [2]
E. caribaeorum is of interest from a drug discovery perspective because it produces eleutherobin, a diterpene glycoside with potential anticancer activity. [3]