Purple soft coral

The purple soft coral (Alcyonium fauri) is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Alcyoniidae.[2]

Purple soft coral
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Order: Alcyonacea
Family: Alcyoniidae
Genus: Alcyonium
Species:
A. fauri
Binomial name
Alcyonium fauri
Studer, 1910[1]

Description

Purple soft corals grow in small colonies of up to 3 cm in height. The diameter of the individual polyps is 0.4 cm. They are usually bright purple, although they may be yellow, pink, red, dark grey or orange. The soft colony is encrusting and variably shaped. Feeding polyps extend eight tentacles into the water column.[3]

Distribution

This species is known from Saldanha Bay to Richards Bay off the South African coast, and lives from the low intertidal to 90m under water.

Ecology

This species feeds on microplankton. It is preyed on by the nudibranchs Leminda millecra and two extremely well camouflaged species from the genus Tritonia.[3]

References
  1. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=287358 accessed 17 August 2012
  2. Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. 2010. Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa ISBN 978-1-77007-772-0
  3. Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. ISBN 978-0-620-41639-9
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