| Valdivian soft coral | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Octocorallia |
| Order: | Alcyonacea |
| Family: | Parasphaerascleridae |
| Genus: | Parasphaerasclera |
| Species: | P. valdiviae [1] |
| Binomial name | |
| Parasphaerasclera valdiviae [2] (Kukenthal, 1906) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The Valdivian soft coral (Parasphaerasclera valdiviae) is a species of colonial leathery or soft coral in the family Alcyoniidae. [3]
Valdivian soft corals grow in small colonies of between 1 and 11 cm in height and up to 10 cm in diameter. The colony has stubby branches extending from a conspicuous short thick trunk. The polyps are white, but the colony colour is variable from white to pink to orange or even red. Some colonies may be bi-coloured. [4]
This species is known from the Cape Peninsula to northern KwaZulu-Natal off the South African coast, and is common in 14-18m of water, although it is found down to at least 30m. It is endemic to this area.
Research at Rhodes University has shown that chemicals in this soft coral may have anti-inflammatory properties. [4]
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.
Antipatharians, also known as black corals or thorn corals, are an order of soft deep-water corals. These corals can be recognized by their jet-black or dark brown chitin skeletons, surrounded by the polyps. Antipatharians are a cosmopolitan order, existing at nearly every location and depth, with the sole exception of brackish waters. However, they are most frequently found on continental slopes under 50 m (164 ft) deep. A black coral reproduces both sexually and asexually throughout its lifetime. Many black corals provide housing, shelter, food, and protection for other animals.
Pillar coral is a hard coral found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Dendrogyra. It is a digitate coral -that is, it resembles fingers or a cluster of cigars, growing up from the sea floor without any secondary branching. It is large and can grow on both flat and sloping surfaces at depths down to 20 m (65 ft). It is one of the few types of hard coral in which the polyps can commonly be seen feeding during the day.
Phyllodesmium horridum, the coral nudibranch, is a species of sea slug, specifically an aeolid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Facelinidae.
Corynactis annulata, or the strawberry anemone, is a bright pink colonial anthozoan similar in body form to sea anemones and scleractinian stony corals. This species is a solitary animal of the order Corallimorpharia.
Korsaranthus natalensis, commonly known as the spinnaker anemone or the candy-striped anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. It is the only member of its genus.
The walking anemone, also known as the hedgehog anemone or sock anemone, is a species of sea anemones in the order Actiniaria. It is the only member of its genus, Preactis.
The multicoloured sea fan is a species of gorgonian sea fan in the family Melithaeidae.
The Cape zoanthid is a species of zoanthid in the family Parazoanthidae.
Balanophyllia bonaespei is a species of solitary cup coral, a stony coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. It is an azooxanthellate species that does not contain symbiotic dinoflagellates in its tissues as most corals do.
The purple soft coral is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Alcyoniidae.
The variable soft coral is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Alcyoniidae.
The sun-burst soft coral is a species of colonial soft corals in the family Alcyoniidae. It is the only species known in the genus Malacacanthus.
The cauliflower soft coral is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Nephtheidae.
The feathery sea pen is a species of sea pen in the family Virgulariidae.
The gorgonian twig coral is a species of gorgonian sea fan in the family Anthothelidae.
The sinuous sea fan is a species of gorgonian sea fan in the family Gorgoniidae.
The palmate sea fan is a species of gorgonian sea fan in the family Gorgoniidae.
Stylaster nobilis, the noble coral, is a branching colonial hydroid in the family Stylasteridae.
Leptogorgia sarmentosa is a species of colonial soft coral, a sea fan in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea, with a single find in the eastern Mediterranean.
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