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Muricella plectana
Commonly called Gorgonian sea fans, these are coral communities that form a huge fan of slender branches. Polyps are red-colored (but appear bluish without an artificial underwater light source) and occur all over the coral. A very thick and sturdy main trunk anchors the coral community onto the substrate. The pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti) makes this coral its home, as its camouflaged body mimics the coral's tiny branches and polyps.
Coral reefs in western South Pacific. Known to occur at depths of around 33m.
We have plenty of these sea fans in the Davao Gulf. You'll see them as blue or purple, but shine a torch on them and you'll see their true, radiant red color! This sea fan grows to heights of up to 3 meters (as observed by me).
Spotted on Jul 15, 2012
Submitted on Jul 16, 2012
1 Comment
beautiful!