Clavularia viridis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Clavularia viridis | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Octocorallia |
| Order: | Alcyonacea |
| Family: | Clavulariidae |
| Genus: | Clavularia |
| Species: | C. viridis |
| Binomial name | |
| Clavularia viridis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)[1] | |
Clavularia viridis is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Clavulariidae. It is found in shallow waters in the tropical Indo-Pacific.
The polyps grow from basal stolons which form a purple mat encrusting the substrate. The eight tentacles have feathery margins. They are retractable and fluorescent green, usually with a band of white or yellow around the margin of the oral disc. The polyps are large, compared with related species, and may reach 5 cm (2 in) in diameter.
Distribution
Clavularia viridis is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific. It occurs at depths down to about 19 m (62 ft) and usually colonises other species of coral.