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Family

Plexauridae

Common Name(s)

Black sausage coral.

Colony Form

Fingerlike colony of few thick long branches arising from near the base in all directions, to ~80 cm tall.

Axis

Cylindrical in cross-section.

Branches

Branches are >50% of colony height, 10-18 mm in diameter, with bulbous tips.

Apertures

Well-spaced around branches; hemispherical, surrounded by eight small lobes and with long lower lip that sometimes covers upper lip.

Mucus

Absent

Color

Medium brown. Dark polyps.

Sclerites

Polyp armature of rods 0.05-0.2 mm long. Axial layer: ornate, colorless or pale violet spindles. Middle layer: diverse spindle forms usually 0.5-1.7 mm long. Surface layer: foliate clubs, enlarged or robust, 0.1-0.19 mm long.

Habitat

Leeward terrace reefs and hard bottoms, 5-20 m depths.

Distribution

South Florida, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, and throughout the Caribbean Sea.

Notes

Branches are thickest in the genus. Grows mainly through asexual propagation, often via fallen stolon-like branches.

Similar Species

Eunicea tourneforti

Date Taken

4-11-2016

 
COinS