Pink
flowery soft coral
Dendronephthya sp.*
Family Nephtheidae
updated
Nov 2019
Where
seen? This bright pink flowery soft coral is
seen on our Northern shores. Attached to coral rubble, boulders or
other hard surfaces.
Features: Colony tree-like about
10-15cm. Colony is branched with sturdy 'stems' emerging from a stout
central 'trunk'. The 'stem' white or transparent, with red or pink
sclerites embedded in the tissues. Polyps tiny (about 0.5cm) with
eight white branched tentacles. The polyps appear in clusters at the
tips of the branches, no obvious large spikes next to the polyps.
Tends to be pinkish at the polyp clusters. The animals do not have
symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) and thus can be found in murky water
and dark places.
Flowery friends: Tiny animals found on the soft coral include
tiny false
cowrie snails, tiny porcelain crabs and tiny colourful brittle stars. |
Beting Bronok, Jul 08
|
|
Beting Bronok, Jun 06
|
|
|
Tiny porcelain crab.
Beting Bronok, Jun 06
|
*ID awaits confirmation.
Species are difficult to positively identify without closer examination.
On this website, the animals are grouped by external features for convenience
of display.
Pink
flowery soft corals on Singapore shores |
Links
References
- Fabricius,
Katharina and Philip Alderslade, 2001. Soft
Corals and Sea Fans.
Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Museum and Art
Gallery of the Northern Territoriy. 264 pp.
|
|
|