Carpet
corallimorph
Rhodactis indosinensis
Family Discosomidae
updated
Jul 2024
Where
seen? This shaggy disk-shaped animal is commonly encountered
on many of our Southern shores, on coral rubble.
Features: Each polyp about 2-4cm
in diameter. Sometimes seen in large numbers, carpeting an area of
30-50cm square. |
Sisters Islands, Dec 03 |
Underside smooth and brown,
edge fringed with short tentacles. |
Upturned mouth. |
Each polyp has lots of short, thin tentacles that densely cover the
oral disk, so that the entire group of animals appears to be a living
shaggy carpet. Tentacles with tiny rounded tip, sometimes white or
other bright colour. In some, each tentacle appears to be branched
at the tips. The small upturned mouth is usually hidden by the tentacles.
The edge of the oral disk is fringed with short tentacles. The oral
disk may have fine radiating lines in a different colour.
The underside is smooth and brown. The animal can tuck its oral disk
into the body column when it is exposed out of water. Seen in a wide
range of colours: in shades of beige, pink, orange to green, blue
and purple.
A study found that Rhodactis indosinensis can also look like White-tip corallimorphs.
Status and threats: As at 2024, it is assessed not to be approaching the criteria for being listed among the threatened animals in Singapore. |
Pulau Hantu, Jul 07
|
Each tentacle appears to be
branched at the tips.
|
|
Sisters Island, May 12
Can retract into the body column.
|
Pulau Semakau, May 08
Tips rounded often white.
|
Terumbu Semakau, Jun 12
Unidentifed purple strings: eggs?
|
*Species are difficult
to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, the animals are grouped by external features for convenience
of display.
Carpet
corallimorphs on Singapore shores |
Other sightings on Singapore shores |
Terumbu Berkas, Jan 10 |
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|
Beting Bemban Besar, Apr 10
Photo shared by James Koh on his
blog. |
Terumbu Semakau, May 10
Photo shared by James Koh on his
blog. |
|
Links
References
- Checklist of Cnidaria (non-Sclerectinia) Species with their Category of Threat Status for Singapore by Yap Wei Liang Nicholas, Oh Ren Min, Iffah Iesa in G.W.H. Davidson, J.W.M. Gan, D. Huang, W.S. Hwang, S.K.Y. Lum, D.C.J. Yeo, 2024. The Singapore
Red Data Book: Threatened plants and animals of Singapore.
3rd edition. National Parks Board. 258 pp.
- Ren Min Oh, Mei Lin Neo, Nicholas Wei Liang Yap, Sudhanshi Sanjeev Jain, Ria Tan, Chaolun Allen Chen and Danwei Huang Citizen science meets integrated taxonomy to uncover the diversity and distribution of Corallimorpharia in Singapore, The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Volume 67, Pp. 306-321.
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