Melithaea ochracea

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Melithaea ochracea
Melithaea ochracea2.jpg
Knotted fan coral at Pulau Tioman, West Malaysia
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Order: Alcyonacea
Family: Melithaeidae
Genus: Melithaea
Species:
M. ochracea
Binomial name
Melithaea ochracea
(Linnaeus, 1758) [1]

Melithaea ochracea is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Melithaeidae, commonly known as knotted fan coral. It grows in tree-like fans on coral reefs in the South China Sea. It is used in the jewellery industry under the name red spongy coral.

Contents

Description

Colonies of Melithaea ochracea are arborescent and usually grow to about 20 cm (8 in) long although much larger specimens can be found. They grow in one plane and have a branching, fan-shaped structure. The main skeletal stalk and branches are jointed, with swellings at the larger joints. The internodes are composed of hard, calcareous material while the joints are flexible and made of a horny material. The skeleton is covered by a flexible membrane, the mesoglea, which contains minute calcareous spicules or sclerites. The identity of these is important for distinguishing between different closely related species. In Melithaea ochracea, they include capstans, double discs, disc-spindles and unilaterally spinose spindles, plain spindles, clubs and anthocodial sclerites. Three sides of the branches are densely covered in calyces, dome shaped perforated structures from which the polyps protrude. Colonies vary in colour but tend to be shades of yellow, orange, red and white, sometimes with contrasting colours for the calyces and polyps. It is an azooxanthellate coral and does not contain symbiotic unicellular algae in its tissues. [2] [3] In Singapore, it sometimes grows close to the low tide mark at depths of under 3 metres (9.8 ft) where colonies grow larger than deeper water specimens and mostly have yellow branches and red calyces. At greater depths, down to 15 metres (49 ft), the colonies are smaller and have different colour combinations. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Melithaea ochracea grows on shallow reefs in the South China Sea between Taiwan and Indonesia. Its range also includes Singapore and Malaysia. [3] In Taiwan, it is the most widespread gorgonian coral and is found on the higher parts of reef fronts where its numerous small polyps can feed at water flow rates varying from 4 to 40 centimetres (1.6 to 15.7 in) per second. [4]

Uses

Melithaea ochracea can be used in reef aquaria to add interest to fish tanks and requires a moderate flow of water to allow the polyps to feed on non-evasive zooplankton and probably also phytoplankton. [4]

Melithaea ochracea is used in the jewellery industry where it is known as sponge coral because of the porous nature of the structure. Bright orange-red specimens are considered most desirable but variegated specimens, with yellow or orange streaks, are also sought after. Most of the sponge coral on the market has been stabilised by being filled with resin or polymer and polished. It is also sometimes dyed or crushed, mixed with epoxy resin and formed into the desired shape. It can be carved and is popular because it is relatively cheap. Natural, unenhanced coral is more expensive than its treated counterpart but it is difficult to find sufficient attractive rough material on the market. The coral measures 3.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness so besides being easy to work, it is also easy to damage. It should not be worn next to the skin because it may become stained. [5]

It is harvested in the South China Sea between Taiwan and Indonesia and is sometimes farmed. It grows much more quickly than the traditional hard corals ( Crallium spp. ) that are used in jewellery and its harvesting is believed to be sustainable. [6]

Related Research Articles

Alcyonacea Order of octocorals that do not produce massive calcium carbonate skeletons

Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals. In addition to the fleshy soft corals, the order Alcyonacea now contains all species previously known as "gorgonian corals", that produce a more or less hard skeleton, though quite different from "true" corals (Scleractinia). These can be found in suborders Holaxonia, Scleraxonia, and Stolonifera. They are sessile colonial cnidarians that are found throughout the oceans of the world, especially in the deep sea, polar waters, tropics and subtropics. Common names for subsets of this order are sea fans and sea whips; others are similar to the sea pens of related order Pennatulacea. Individual tiny polyps form colonies that are normally erect, flattened, branching, and reminiscent of a fan. Others may be whiplike, bushy, or even encrusting. A colony can be several feet high and across, but only a few inches thick. They may be brightly coloured, often purple, red, or yellow. Photosynthetic gorgonians can be successfully kept in captive aquaria.

Pulsating xenid Species of coral

The pulsating xenid is a species of soft coral in the family Xeniidae.

<i>Porites astreoides</i> Species of coral

Porites astreoides, commonly known as mustard hill coral or yellow porites, is a colonial species of stony coral in the family Poritidae.

Multicoloured sea fan Species of coral

The multicoloured sea fan is a species of gorgonian sea fan in the family Melithaeidae.

Melithaeidae Family of corals

Melithaeidae is a family of corals in the suborder Scleraxonia. Members of the family are commonly known as sea fans and are found on reefs in the tropical regions of the Indo-Pacific.

<i>Leptogorgia virgulata</i> Species of coral

Leptogorgia virgulata, commonly known as the sea whip or colorful sea whip, is a species of soft coral in the family Gorgoniidae.

<i>Fungia</i> Genus of corals

Fungia is a genus of corals in the family Fungiidae. It is monotypic with the single species Fungia fungites, which is found growing on reefs in the Indo-Pacific.

Nephtheidae Family of corals

Nephtheidae is a family of soft corals in the phylum Cnidaria. Members of this family are known as carnation corals, tree corals or colt soft corals. They are very attractive and show a wide range of rich and pastel colours including reds, pinks, yellows and purples. They are popular with reef aquarium hobbyists.

<i>Melithaea</i> Genus of corals

Melithaea is a genus of octocorals in the family Melithaeidae. Members of the genus are commonly known as fan corals and are found in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. The type species is Melithaea ochracea.

<i>Leptogorgia hebes</i> Species of coral

Leptogorgia hebes, commonly known as the regal sea fan or false sea fan, is a species of soft coral in the family Gorgoniidae. It was formerly included in the genus Lophogorgia but that genus has been dismantled.

<i>Parazoanthus swiftii</i> Species of coral

Parazoanthus swiftii, commonly known as the golden zoanthid, is a species of coral in the order Zoantharia which grows symbiotically on several species of sponge. It is found in shallow waters in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Gorgonia ventalina</i> Species of coral

Gorgonia ventalina, the purple sea fan, is a species of sea fan, an octocoral in the family Gorgoniidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

<i>Dichocoenia</i> Genus of corals

Dichocoenia is a monotypic genus of stony coral in the family Meandrinidae. It is represented by a single species, Dichocoenia stokesii, which is commonly known as pineapple coral, elliptical star coral, or pancake star coral. It is found in the Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic Ocean. Dichocoenia stokesii has irregular calyces and its form can be either a massive, hemispherical hump or a flat, platform-like structure.

Plexauridae Family of corals

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.

<i>Plexaurella nutans</i> Species of coral

Plexaurella nutans, the giant slit-pore sea rod, is a tall species of soft coral in the family Plexauridae. It is a relatively uncommon species and is found in shallow seas in the Caribbean region.

<i>Stylaster nobilis</i> Species of hydrozoan

Stylaster nobilis, the noble coral, is a branching colonial hydroid in the family Stylasteridae.

<i>Eunicea</i> Genus of corals

Eunicea is a genus of gorgonian-type octocorals in the family Plexauridae. These branched octocorals typically have knobby protuberances from which the polyps protrude. They are often stiffened by purple sclerites and some colonies, in brightly lit back-reef areas are purple, though most colonies are brown or grey. The polyps in some species are large and feathery in appearance. The growth of these corals is rapid and they can be kept in a reef aquarium.

Taiaroa is a genus of deep-water, solitary marine octocorals in the family Taiaroidae. Taiaroa is monotypic in the family Taiaroidae and contains a single species, Taiaroa tauhou. The species was first described by the marine zoologists Frederick M. Bayer and Katherine Margaret Muzik in 1976. The scientific name derives from "Taiaroa", the submarine canyon off New Zealand in which the first specimens were found and "tauhou", the Maori word for "strange".

Pseudoplexaura porosa, commonly known as the porous sea rod or the porous false plexaura, is a species of gorgonian-type colonial octocoral in the family Plexauridae. It is native to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

<i>Clavularia crassa</i> Species of coral

Clavularia crassa is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Clavulariidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It was first described in 1848 by the French zoologist Henri Milne-Edwards from a specimen collected off the coast of Algeria.

References

  1. ↑ van Ofwegen, Leen (2010). "Melithaea ochracea (Linnaeus, 1758)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2012-02-22.
  2. ↑ Melithaea Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
  3. 1 2 3 Ofwegen, L.P. van; N.K.C. Goh; L.M. Chou (2000). "The Melithaeidae (Coelenterata: Octocorallia) of Singapore" (PDF). Zool. Med. Leiden. 73 (19): 285–304. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-25.
  4. 1 2 Aquarium plants Experts Guide To Saltwater Aquariums. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  5. ↑ Sponge coral Archived 2012-02-22 at the Wayback Machine JCK. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
  6. ↑ The Story of Coral Kashgar. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
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