Family: Plexauridae

Colony Form: Small bushy colony with branches arising from near base; to 50 cm tall.

Axis: Cylindrical, very thin and almost imperceptible at the tips.

Branches: Long, brittle branches with terminal knobs.

Apertures: Oval; those towards branch tip have a noticeable lip.

Mucus: Absent

Color: Pale, beige to light brown; dries mainly white.

Sclerites: Polyp armature reduced, with flat rods, no collar; smallest in subgenus Euniceopsis. Axial layer: purple spindles (0.13-0.22 mm) usually with a few projecting spines. Middle layer: transparent spindles (0.7-1.5 mm, usually less than 1 mm long). Surface layer: torch clubs (0.09-0.17 mm), with sharp tips coming off the head.

Habitat: Fore-reef terraces in 12-20 m depth.

Distribution: Uncommon in South Florida and the Caribbean.

Notes: Very uncommon and difficult to distinguish; morphologically similar to E. fusca and with asexual vegetative forms similar to E. flexuosa.

References: Bayer (1961), Cairns (1977), Sánchez (2009), STRI (2010).

Similar Species: Eunicea fusca; Eunicea flexuosa