Nidaliidae

Nidaliidae
Nephthyigorgia sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Subphylum:	Anthozoa
Class:	Octocorallia
Order:	Malacalcyonacea
Family:	Nidaliidae Gray, 1869 [1]
Genera
See text

Nidaliidae is a family of soft corals in the phylum Cnidaria. Some members of this family are similar in appearance to gorgonians (sea fans). They are difficult to keep in the reef aquarium because they do not contain symbiotic zooxanthellae and therefore need to be fed on zooplankton. Others, in the genera Agaricoidea, Nidalla and Pieterfaurea, more resemble members of the family Nephtheidae and these are somewhat easier to keep in the aquarium. ^[2]

Genera

The World Register of Marine Species includes the following genera in the family: ^[3]

• Agaricoides Simpson, 1905
• Nidalia Gray, 1834
• Nidaliopsis Kükenthal, 1906
• Orlikia Malyutin, 1993

Three other genera were previously placed in this family. Siphonogorgia and Chironephthya are now placed in family Siphonogorgiidae, while Nephthyigorgia is placed in its own monotypic family. ^[4]

References

1. van Ofwegen, Leen (2013). "Nidaliidae Gray, 1869". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2014-02-11.
2. The Soft Corals, Order Alcyonacea; Use In Reef Aquariums Wet Web Media. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
3. World List of Octocorallia. McFadden, C.S.; Cordeiro, R.; Samimi-Namin, K.; Williams, G.; van Ofwegen, L. (eds.). "Nidaliidae Gray, 1869". World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
4. McFadden, Catherine S.; Van Ofwegen, Leen P.; Quattrini, Andrea M. (2022). "Revisionary systematics of Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) guided by phylogenomics". Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists. 1 (3). doi: 10.18061/bssb.v1i3.8735 .