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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 coral awaiting identification* Family Alcyoniidae updated Oct 08 Where seen? This striking leathery coral is commonly seen on our Southern shores. On coral rubble. Features: Colony 10-15cm or larger. Sometimes several colonies near one another. The colony is attached to hard surface by a very broad short column, which is topped by spherical or finger-like structures. The leathery common tissue is bright white, although the central column many be orangey-pink. There are only autozooid polyps and no siphonozooids. The autozooid polyps are tiny (0.5cm or smaller) with a short body column and 8 branched tentacles which are rather broad and feathery. The polyp tentacles are usually a dark brown. When the polyps are completely retracted, the bright white leathery tissue is exposed. Thus half-submerged colonies appear black (where the polyps are expanded) and white (where the polyps are retracted). |
 Pulau Tekukor, May 07  |
 Cyrene Reef, May 08 |
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Black-and-white leathery corals on Singapore shores
 Kusu Island, Apr 05  |
 Pulau Hantu, Apr 06  |
 St. John's Island, Mar 07  |
more photos of black-and-white leathery corals on Singapore shores
part 1 | part 2 | part 3
*Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display
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