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Related FAQs: Soft Corals of the Family Alcyoniidae, Alcyoniids 2, Alcyoniids 3, Alcyoniids 4, Alcyoniid ID, Alcyoniid Selection, Alcyoniid Compatibility, Alcyoniid Systems, Alcyoniid Feeding, Alcyoniid Behavior, Alcyoniid Health, Alcyoniid Disease 2, Alcyoniid Disease 3, Alcyoniid Disease 4, Alcyoniid Disease 5, Alcyoniid Disease 6, Alcyoniid Disease 7, Alcyoniid Disease 8, Alcyoniid Disease 9, Alcyoniid Health 10, Alcyoniid Disease 11, Alcyoniid Health 12, & Alcyoniid Propagation, Soft Coral Propagation, Soft Coral Health, Dyed Corals, Related Articles: Soft Corals, Order Alcyonacea, /The Best Livestock For Your Reef Aquarium: Soft Corals of the Family Alcyoniidae, pt. 2 Part. 1 | 
| By Bob Fenner | Sarcophyton |
Genus Parerythropodium: | Parerythropodium fulvum (Forsskal 1775), Sulfur Coral, Yellow Encrusting Leather Coral. Below: a colony and close-up in the Andaman Sea off of Thailand in the Similans that is about six inches across, and a typical creeping colony in the Red Sea. |
Genus Rhytisma Alderslade 2000: Thin encrusting mats that are often ribbon-like, of 2/4 mm depth. Have large gastric cavities that appear to burst right out of the basal mat membrane. Reproduction is mainly asexual, through fragmentation. | Rhytisma sp. Red Sea, open and closed colonies. |  
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Genus Sarcophyton: Mushroom, Leather, Cup Leather Coral | Shedding... An important aspect of Sarcophyton captive husbandry is their periodic sloughing of skin/mucus, sand et al... this is one shedding in the wild off of Queensland, Australia. Do vacuum, remove this material. | 
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| Sarcophyton crassocaule Cebu, Philippines and Fiji. |  
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| Sarcophyton ehrenbergii Marenzeller 1885. Common in the Indo-Pacific and aquariums. Laterally compressed colonies with deep disks. Feeds by way of photosynthesis and plankton. | 
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| Sarcophyton glaucum (Quoy & Gaimard 1833), Red Sea, Indo-Pacific. Hardy, easily reproduced asexually. To one foot in diameter. Feeds on plankton or similar material. A small and tiny one fully open in Pulau Redang, Malaysia. |  
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| Sarcophyton sp. (elegans?) These young colonies on the reef flat in Fiji and an aquarium. |  
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| Sarcophyton tenuispiculatum Thomson & Dean 1931. The Gold-Crowned Leather Coral. Common in its range in the Indo-Pacific. A tough aquarium species that needs lots of space, high intensity light and strong water movement. Aquarium photo. | 
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| Sarcophyton trocheliophorum Marenzeller 1886, Elephant Ear Soft Coral. A large alcyoniid with symbiotic zooxanthellae. This and fine plankton, dissolved organics are nutritive. To two feet across. A popular aquarium species that loses easily to stinging anemones, large polyp stony corals. Likes bright light, moderate current. Red Sea at right, close-up and below left, Cebu (Philippines) and Maldives images. | 
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| Morgan Lidster's (Inland Aquatics) "Green Sarco" on the left, ORA's on the right... Expensivo, but beautiful. | 
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Bigger PIX:
The images in this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies. Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size. |
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Genus Sinularia: Thin flattened sheets to knobby fingers, to almost flaccid tree-like branchings... | Sinularia spp. Many not identified to species members of this genus exist and are casually retailed as such. This one in Cebu, Philippines. | 
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| Sinularia abrupta Tixier-Durivault 1970, Leather Coral. Western and Central Pacific. Easy to miss in the wild. Short (two inch maximum height), flexible lobes on a flat base. Image shot at Shark Point, O'ahu, Hawai'i. | 
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| Sinularia brassica May 1898. Indo-Pacific. Closely related to S. dura, but with finger-like projections. N. Sulawesi pic. | 
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| Sinularia dura (Pratt 1903). Indo-Pacific. Leafy cup-shapes are typical. Easily cultured by fragmenting. Aquarium and Pulau Redang, Malaysia images. |  
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Bigger PIX:
The images in this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies.
Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size. |
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| Sinularia flexibilis Quoy & Gaimard 1833.Eastern Indian, Western Pacific. Can grow very large. Produces copious mucus. Needs large quarters. Shown below in an aquarists tank, at a wholesalers and in the wild in Cebu, Philippines. |
| Sinularia mollis Kolonko 1926. Indo-Pacific. Long slender lobes... like an extended S. flexibilis. Aquarium photo. | 
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| Sinularia polydactyla. Here are images showing a group of colonies at the reef lip and one open at night feeding in the Red Sea. |   |
| Sinularia sp. Digitate Leather Coral. Positive identification of Sinularia spp. relies on microscopic examination of a colonies skeletal elements (sclerites). N. Sulawesi image. | 
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To: Pt. 1
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