Pseudoplexaura porosa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pseudoplexaura porosa | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Octocorallia |
| Order: | Alcyonacea |
| Family: | Plexauridae |
| Genus: | Pseudoplexaura |
| Species: | P. porosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Pseudoplexaura porosa | |
Pseudoplexaura porosa, commonly known as the porous sea rod or the porous false plexaura, is a species of gorgonian-type colonial octocoral in the family Plexauridae. It is native to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
Pseudoplexaura porosa is a large species of coral, growing to a height of about 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in). The colony is tree-like, upright and relatively robust. It grows from a trunk that may be 5 cm (2 in) thick and branches dichotomously (forking repeatedly into pairs of equal-sized branches). The end branches are long and slightly tapered, averaging about 4 mm (0.16 in) thick. The branches are smooth and the tips are soft and slimy. The apertures from which the polyps project are large and crowded together, and are arranged spirally up the branches. The polyps overlap each other, each one having eight tentacles. This octocoral is some shade of pale yellow, tan, or reddish-purple.[2]
Distribution
Pseudoplexaura porosa is found in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Its range extends from Bermuda and Florida to Colombia, and it usually grows on reefs between 3 and 6 m (10 and 20 ft) deep, but has been recorded at depths as great as 280 metres (920 ft).[2] This octocoral thrives in areas with strong currents and, in contrast to stony corals, the branches are flexible and sway about with the movement of the water.[3]