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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
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By Bob Fenner |
Sarcophyton
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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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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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| 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. |
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| 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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