soft corals text index | photo index
Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Alcyonaria/Octocorallia > Order Alcyonacea > Family Nephtheidea
Pink flowery soft coral
Dendronephthya sp.*
Family Nephtheidae
updated Nov 2019
Where seen? This bright pink flowery soft coral is seen on our Northern shores. Attached to coral rubble, boulders or other hard surfaces.

Features: Colony tree-like about 10-15cm. Colony is branched with sturdy 'stems' emerging from a stout central 'trunk'. The 'stem' white or transparent, with red or pink sclerites embedded in the tissues. Polyps tiny (about 0.5cm) with eight white branched tentacles. The polyps appear in clusters at the tips of the branches, no obvious large spikes next to the polyps. Tends to be pinkish at the polyp clusters. The animals do not have symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) and thus can be found in murky water and dark places.

Flowery friends:
Tiny animals found on the soft coral include tiny false cowrie snails, tiny porcelain crabs and tiny colourful brittle stars.

Beting Bronok, Jul 08


Beting Bronok, Jun 06


False cowrie snail.
Chek Jawa, Apr 08

Tiny colourful brittle star
Pulau Sekudu, May 08

Tiny porcelain crab.
Beting Bronok, Jun 06

*ID awaits confirmation. Species are difficult to positively identify without closer examination.
On this website, the animals are grouped by external features for convenience of display.

Pink flowery soft corals on Singapore shores
On wildsingapore flickr

Links

References

  • Fabricius, Katharina and Philip Alderslade, 2001. Soft Corals and Sea Fans. Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territoriy. 264 pp.
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