SeaFans4

Related Articles: Octocorals, Water Flow, How Much is Enough,

/The Conscientious Marine Aquarist

Sea Fans for Marine Aquaria, the Gorgonians, Order Gorgonaceae

Part 4

To: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6

Bob Fenner

In Bonaire, Ahhhh!

Genus Heterogorgia:

Heterogorgia uatumani, Golden Sea Spray. To a foot in size. Light brown to golden thick rods and polyps. Fan-shaped colonies. Roatan 2016

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Genus Iciligorgia:

Iciligorgia schrammi, Deepwater Sea Fan. To 5 feet in size. Reddish orange fans with light colored and polyps. Roatan 2016

Genus Muricea:

Muricea laxa, Delicate Spiny Sea Rod. Tall colonies that are bushy, branched in many planes, with hard calyces (protuberances, spines...) that extend out and upward with branches. Whitish, yellowish with white polyps. Aquarium photos.

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Muricea sp. Robust Gorgonian. Thick, individual branches; up to 1.7 feet tall. To about 100 foot depths. Cabo 2016 pix.

Genus Muricella:

Muricella sp. Large, intricately inter-branched species (up to more than a meter across). Many polyps, form distinct bumps on branches, contrast in color (red/pink against grey to white branches. West Pacific; Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea. N. Sulawesi pix.

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Genus Muriceopsis:

Muriceopsis flavida, Rough Sea Plume. Bushy colonies made up of tall branches or many small branchlets that extend in all directions (not uni-planar). St. Lucia and Jamaica pix.

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Genus Pacifigorgia:

Pacifigorgia sp. Brown (and other apparent colors) or Pacific Sea Fan/s. Closely cross-branched unilaminar blades with polyps. To 2.5 feet tall, and 75 foot depths. Here in Cabo in 2016.

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Genus Plexaura:

Plexaura homomalla, Black Sea Rod. Bushy, planar colonies. Usually branch laterally (versus dichotomously). Have light brown to yellow polyps against dark brown/black stalks/rinds. Bahamas pix.

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Genus Plexaurella:

Plexaurella nutans, Giant Slit-Pore Sea Rod. Tall colonies with thick stalks, not much branching. When closed, polyp openings like small open, raised slit-like openings. Tobago image.

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Genus Pseudoplexaura:

Pseudoplexaura sp. Porous Sea Rods. Definitive genus detail are small rounded openings in rind when pale polyps are retracted. Variable in appearance, color. Mostly dichotomous asymmetrical low occuring branch division. Brown, grey, tan to light purplish in color. Below: Tobago and two Cozumel images.

Verticals (Full/Cover Page Sizes Available)

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Pseudoplexaura sp. St Thomas 2014. TiffB pic

To: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6

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