Erythropodium caribaeorum

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Erythropodium caribaeorum
Erythropodium caribaeorum 01 by Line1.JPG
Erythropodium caribaeorum in the Aquarium de La Rochelle
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
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
  • Erythropodium carybaeorumKölliker, 1865

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]

References

  1. "Erythropodium caribaeorum (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860)". WoRMS. 2015. Retrieved 2 Feb 2016.
  2. "Erythropodium caribaeorum". SeaLifeBase. 2012. Retrieved 2 Feb 2016.
  3. Singh R, Sharma M, Joshi P, Rawat DS (2008). "Clinical status of anti-cancer agents derived from marine sources". Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 8 (6): 603–617. doi:10.2174/187152008785133074. PMID   18690825.