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Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Alcyonaria/Octocorallia > Order Alcyonacea > Family Alcyoniidae
Smooth leathery soft coral
Sinularia sp.*
Family Alcyoniidae
updated Mar 13

Where seen? This large pink leathery coral is commonly seen on our Southern shores. On coral rubble. With the polyps retracted, the surface of the leathery tissue is quite smooth. When exposed at low tide, those with finger-like shapes may look like a pile of discarded rubber gloves!

Features: Colony 20-50cm or larger. Sinularia species have among the greatest variation in colony shapes among soft corals. The colony may be encrusting with ridges, knobs or fingers, or tall with many lobes, branches, or flat disks, leafy or dish-shaped. The leathery common tissue usually pastel shades of pink, beige or brown.

The surface of the common leathery tissue is usually smooth as there are only autozooid polyps and no siphonozooids. In some the surface may appear rough due to embedded spicules (calcium carbonate spikes). The autozooid polyps are tiny (0.5cm or smaller) with a short body column and 8 long tentacles with feathery branches. The autozooids can retract completely into the common tissue. Out of water, the surface of the common tissue has only one kind of hole, where the retracted autozooids are. The autozooid polyps may be the same colour as the common tissue or slightly darker. The animals harbour symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae).

Sometimes confused with Pimply leathery soft coral (Lobophytum sp.) which have siphonozooids and thus has a pimply common tissue.

Pulau Semakau, Aug 11

Pulau Semakau, Oct 11

Sentosa, Aug 05

Sisters Island, Aug 08

Smooth leathery soft corals on Singapore shores
Photos for free download from wildsingapore flickr

more photos of smooth leathery soft corals on Singapore shores

*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

Sinularia species recorded for Singapore
from Y. Benayahu and L. M. Chou, 28 Feb 2010. On some Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Alcyonacea) from Singapore and Y. Benayahu and L. P. van Ofwegen. Aug 2011. New species of the genus Sinularia (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) from Singapore.

  Family Alcyoniidae
Genus Sinularia
  Sinularia acuta
Sinularia abrupta
Sinularia brassica
(Starry leathery soft coral)
Sinularia capillosa
Sinularia choui
Sinularia compressa
Sinularia depressa
Sinularia erecta
Sinularia gibberosa
Sinularia hirta
Sinularia lochomodes
Sinularia maxima
Sinularia microclavata
Sinularia molesta
Sinularia polydactyla
Sinularia triangula
Sinularia verseveldti

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References

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