Preview
Family
Plexauridae
Common Name(s)
Swollen knob candelabrum
Colony Form
Bushy or candelabrum, with long branches usually dividing near colony base; to 7-30 cm tall.
Axis
Cylindrical in cross-section.
Branches
Dense, upright, thick branches, 5-10 mm across, to 30 cm long.
Apertures
Crowded, conic to tube-shaped with slightly upturned lower lip, ~2 mm long but not longer than branch diameter, slightly compressed in cross section. Projecting calices around branches produce a knobby appearance. Bushy colonies have medium and large calices.
Mucus
Absent
Color
Beige, dark yellow to ochre, and occasionally purple. Dries brownish to tan. Light brown polyps.
Sclerites
Tentacular armature with rods to 0.17 mm long. Axial layer: sharp deeply purple spindles (0.16?0.4 mm long, 0.04?0.08 mm wide). Middle layer: ornamented spindles to 2 mm long, 0.38 mm wide (5-8 times longer than wide). Surface layer: dense torch-like clubs to 0.22 mm long.
Habitat
Exposed or semi-exposed reefs to 20 m depth.
Distribution
Bahamas, South Florida, and throughout the Caribbean Sea.
Similar Species
Date Taken
4-11-2016
Notes
Highly variable colony form.