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| soft corals text index | photo index |
| Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Alcyonaria/Octocorallia |
| Xenia
soft coral Heteroxenia sp.* Family Xeniidae updated Dec 11 Where seen? This colony with large pinkish polyps is seen in coral rubble on some of our Southern shores. Features: Colony about 4-8cm, usually a thick common tissue that is club-shaped; with a short columnar base and a dome-shaped top. Two kinds of polyps. Tall fleshy polyps (autozooids) 2cm in diameter, on stalks about 3-5cm long. The eight tentacles are broad, long with many short thin side branches (pinnules) arranged in 1 to 5 rows along both edges of each tentacle. Side branches brownish, oral disk and main tentacles pinkish. The polyps emerge from a pinkish common membrane which is densely dotted with what appears to be smaller star-shaped polyps (siphonozooids). The polyps may retract completely into the common tissue, and may pulsate. According to Fabricius, Heteroxenia species have small siphonozooids among non retractable large autozooids, and may be found in shallow water. Xenia species only have one kind of polyp and are usually absent in murky or dirty water. Sometimes mistaken for the more common Broad feathery soft corals. |
 Pulau Semakau, Aug 11  Pulau Semakau, Aug 11 |
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 Pulau Semakau, Aug 11 |
 Pulau Semakau, Oct 11 |
 Small star-shaped siphonozooids. Pulau Semakau, Oct 11 |
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 Beting Bemban Besar, May 10 |
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 Terumbu Bemban, Apr 12 
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 Terumbu Bemban, Apr 12 
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 Terumbu Bemban, Apr 12 
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*ID needs to be
confirmed. Species are difficult to positively identify without closer
examination.
On this website, the animals are grouped by external features for convenience
of display.
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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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