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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 Cladiella sp.* Family Alcyoniidae updated Dec 11 Where seen? This striking leathery coral is commonly seen on our Southern shores. On coral rubble. Features: Colony usually 10-15cm, sometimes much larger. Sometimes several are near one another, these are usually clones. The colony may be encrusting or attached to hard surface by a broad short column. Colony has bumps 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. |
 Terumbu Pempang Tengah, Jul 10  Common tissue can also contract: finger-like structures contract to blobs. |
 Sisters Island, Nov 11 |
 No siphonozooids, smooth surface between feathery autozooid polyps. |
 Polyps are brown with a short body column and 8 branched tentacles. |
Black-and-white leathery corals on Singapore shores
 Terumbu Raya, Jul 11 |
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 Kusu Island, Apr 05  |
 Pulau Hantu, Apr 06  |
 Pulau Tekukor, May 07 
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more photos of black-and-white leathery corals on Singapore shores
northern shores
southern shores part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4
*ID needs to be confirmed. Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display
| 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|
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