cnidarians text index | photo index
Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Alcyonaria/Octocorallia > Order Gorgonacea
Photo index of sea fans and sea whips on Singapore shores
thin branching or single stalks with hard skeletons and tiny polyps



Asparagus sea fan
awaiting identification



Lyre sea fan
awaiting identification



Sea whip
awaiting identification



Candelabra sea fan
awaiting identification



Gnarled sea fan
awaiting identification
15-20cm. Colony is a cluster of strems. Stems cylindrical, unbranched except near the base, covered with bumps, large white polyps emerge from tips of bumps. Red, white, yellow or orange. On coral rubble. Commonly seen on Beting Bronok. 15-20cm. Colony with long unbranched thin cylindrical stems emerging vertically from a horizontal stem. Red or brown. On coral rubble. Sometime seen on Beting Bronok. 20-30cm. Cylindrical stem unbranched, small white or transparent polyps. White or yellow. On coral rubble. Sometimes seen on some of our Northern shores. 10-15cm. Colony with sparse branches, that emerge in a U-shape. Cylindrical stems with large white polyps all around. Orange. On coral rubble, rocks. Commonly seen on some of our Northern shores. 10-15cm. Colony few branching stems on one plane, cylindrical stems with large pink polyps. On coral rubble. Sometimes seen on our Northern shores.



Flat branch sea fan
awaiting identification



Skinny sea fan
awaiting identification



Tree sea fan
awaiting identification



Maze sea fan
awaiting identification



Leathery sea fan
awaiting identification
10-20cm. Colony randomly branched, on one plane. Stems flattened with groove along the centre, large white polyps at sides of stem, not in groove. Brown, orange, red. On coral rubble. Sometimes seen on our Northern shores. 10-20cm. Colony with branches on one plane that resemble veins of a leaf, or long tangled stems. Relatively large white polyps on opposite edges of the flattened, skinny stems. Red, maroon, orange, yellow. On coral rubble, rocks, in sand. Sometimes seen on some of our Northern shores. 10-15cm. Colony with branches on one plane that resembles the silhouette of a large tree. With swollen nodes where stems branch. Polyps all around the stem. Red, pink or white. On coral rubble, rocks, in sand. Sometimes seen on some of our Northern shores. 10-15cm. Colony with regular branches that form a maze-like pattern. Fat cylindrical stems. Orange, pink, yellow or white. On coral rubble. Sometimes seen on our Nothern shores. 50cm-1m. Colony bushy, long stems not frequently branched. Cylindrical, thick (1cm) fleshy and leathery, with a wire-like central support sometimes exposed at the tips. Dusky pinkish beige. On coral reefs. Often seen on our Southern shores.
Not a sea fan
       



Knobbly soft coral
Carijoa sp.
       
5-8cm long with large polyps (1cm) in capsules along the side branches. White, beige, orange. On boulders, jetties. Commonly seen on some of our Northern shores.        
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photo index of
cnidarians on this site
Phylum Cnidaria
with hard skeleton

polyp shape
long tentacles

colony shape
  leafy

crinkled


plate


branching
  thick branches
thin branches
  boulder
  Corallite shape=
ring
hexagonal
brain or maze

others

colony unattached
(mushroom hard coral)
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