Family: Briareidae

Common Name(s): Corky sea finger

Colony Form: One to several upright, unbranched rods arising from common encrusting base. Polyps >1 cm in length, with long tentacles, appearing as dense fur or hair when extended, making rods appear much thicker than when the polyps are retracted.

Axis: None

Branches: None

Apertures: Pinhole-sized, each often on a low swelling.

Mucus: Absent

Color: Purple, purplish gray, or with some tan; polyps brown, grayish- or greenish brown. Apertures may be surrounded by darker purple. May dry yellow or yellow brown.

Sclerites: Large tuberculate spindles or 3-rayed sclerites.

Habitat: Most shallow reef environments.

Distribution: Bahamas, South Florida, and Caribbean Sea.

Notes: Similar Briareum polyanthes forms encrusting meatball-like knobs usually encrusting other octocorals. Erythropodium caribaeorum

References: Bayer (1961), Cairns (1977), Humann & Deloach (2002), Sanchez & Wirshing (2005).

Similar Species: Erythropodium caribaeorum