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| soft corals text index | photo index |
| Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Alcyonaria/Octocorallia > Order Alcyonacea > Family Alcyoniidae |
| Black-and-white
leathery soft coral Cladiella sp.* Family Alcyoniidae updated Nov 2019 Where seen? This striking leathery coral is commonly seen on our Southern shores. On coral rubble. Features: Colony usually 10-20cm, sometimes much larger. Sometimes several are near one another, these are probably clones. The colony may be encrusting or attached to hard surface by a broad short column. Colony has bumps, blobs or 'fingers' which are generally short and closely packed. The leathery common tissue is smooth to the touch and pale or white, although the central column many be orangey-pink. The common tissue can also contract, for example, finger-like structures can contract into rounded blobs. Only one kind of polyp (autozooids). It has no siphonozooids. It thus has a smooth surface between the feathery autozooid polyps. The autozooid polyps are tiny (0.5cm or smaller) with a short body column and 8 short branched tentacles. The polyps are brown or greenish due to dense concentrations of zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae), particularly in the branches on the tentacles. When disturbed, the polyps retract rapidly into and reveal the white common tissue. This characteristic instantaneous colour change from brown to white is typical of this species. Other leathery soft corals in the Family Alcyoniidae that look similar include Sinularia and Klyxum species. |
 Sisters Island, Nov 11 |
 No siphonozooids, smooth surface between feathery autozooid polyps. |
 Polyps are brown with a short body column and 8 branched tentacles. |
 Sisters Island, Jan 12 |
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 Kusu Island, Apr 05  |
 Terumbu Pempang Tengah, Jul 10  |
 Pulau Tekukor, May 07  |
*ID needs confirmation. Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display
| Black-and-white leathery soft corals on Singapore shores |
On wildsingapore
flickr
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| Other sightings on Singapore shores |
 Pulau Biola, Dec 09  |
 Pulau Senang, Jun 10  |
 Pulau Senang, Aug 10  |
 Raffles Lighthouse, Jul 06  |
 Pulau Pawai, Dec 09  |
 Pulau Pawai, Dec 09  |
 Terumbu Berkas, Jan 10 |
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 Pulau Salu, Aug 10  |
 Pulau Berkas, May 10  |
| Cladiella
species recorded for Singapore from Y. Benayahu and L. M. Chou, 28 Feb 2010. On some Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Alcyonacea) from Singapore.
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Links
References
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Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Museum and Art
Gallery of the Northern Territoriy. 264 pp