Nephthea
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Cnidaria
Class
Anthozoa
Order
Alcyonacea
Family
Nephtheidae
Genus
Nephthea
Distinguishing features
A genus of soft corals with a distinct stalked morphology. Polyps are found in small clusters on the upper branchlets, but not generally on the main stalk. Polyps are monomorphic and non-retractile. Multiple colonies may form stands up to a meter across, as in the image above. The colony is capable of changes in size, facilitated by water retention, and they are rough or prickly to the touch, due to the presence of numerous calcium carbonate sclerites embedded in the tissue.
Size
- Size data has not been obtained.
Synonyms
Distribution and habitat preferences
Sheltered sites with good water movement.
Can be found in most reef habitats around Lizard Island.
Web resources
References
- Fabricius, K.E. (1997). Soft coral abundance on the central Great Barrier Reef: effects of Acanthaster planci, space availability, and aspects of the physical environment, Coral Reefs, 16(3): 159-167.
- Fabricius, K. and P. Alderslade (2001). in: Soft corals and sea fans: a comprehensive guide to the tropical shallow water genera of the central-west Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville.
- Goulet, T.L., T.C. LaJeunesse and K.E. Fabricius (2008). Symbiont specificity and bleaching susceptibility among soft corals in the 1998 Great Barrier Reef mass coral bleaching event, Marine Biology, 154: 795-804.