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Related FAQs: Nephtheids,
Nephtheids 2, Dendronephthya,
Neptheid Identification,
Nephtheid Behavior, Nephtheid Compatibility,
Nephtheid Selection,
Nephtheid Systems, Nephtheid Feeding,
Nephtheid Disease,
Nephtheid Reproduction/Propagation, Soft Coral Propagation, Soft
Coral Health,
Related Articles: Dendronephthya
and Scleronephthya, Corals to Avoid, by Adam Blundell, Soft Corals, Order Alcyonacea,
/The Best Livestock For Your Reef Aquarium:
Soft Corals of the Family Nephtheidae
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By Bob Fenner |
Capnella sp.
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Genus Capnella Gray 1869: (Kenya) Tree Coral. Have small arborescent
headed colonies, with polyps that are non-retractile.
| Capnella sp. Indo-Pacific. Polyps found
on small branches at end of only a few branchings, and are not
retractable. Have club-shaped sclerites within. Often misidentified as
Litophytons. Aquarium photo and close-up. |
 
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| Capnella imbricata (Quoy & Gaimard 1833).
Distinctive compact colonies with short branches that occur straight up
from their basal stalk. Polyps are crowded and don't retract, restricted
to terminus of branches. Western Pacific; New Guinea, Philippines. N.
Sulawesi pix. |
 
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Genus Dendronephthya Kukenthal
1905: Strawberry Corals. Greatly bunched, bushy colonies. Common in many areas of the
tropical Indo-Pacific. Lack zooxanthellae, dependent of nano-plankton and
dissolved organics for food. Some grow exposed, many others in caves, sheltered
settings, mostly "upside down". Some 250 species are said to exist...
not able to be discerned in the field... must be microscopically examined.
| Dendronephthya sp. Indo-West Pacific. Polyps in groups of
varying number on the distal branches of colonies. These are supported by
internal and surface (visible) sclerites. Feed on very fine plankton and
dissolved organic matter. Very difficult to maintain in captivity. Close
up at right in the Red Sea, two below in the Andaman Sea off
of Thailand and one in Fiji in a typical (upside down) orientation in a
cave. |
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| Dendronephthya (Roxasia) sp. 1. Bushy to tree-like. Branched
and re-branched to more slender ends. Indo-West Pacific; Red Sea,
East Africa to Japan, Philippines, Micro- and Polynesia. N. Sulawesi
pix. |
 
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| Dendronephthya (Roxasia) sp. 2. Similar to sp.
1, but with white branches, red/magenta polyp clusters. Often an upright
grower. Western Pacific; New Guinea, Indonesia. N. Sulawesi pix. |
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| Dendronephthya (Morchellana) sp. 2.
Tri-colored... white branches, magenta or white sclerites. Polyp clusters
in umbrella like groupings. Western Pacific; Philippines. Malaysia and N.
Sulawesi pix. |
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| Dendronephthya (Spongodes) sp. 1. Bushy,
prickly colonies on few, short branches, polyps grouped in tight round
bunches. Indo-Western Pacific. N. Sulawesi pic. |
 
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| Dendronephthya (Morchellana) sp. 2. Large (up
to a meter tall) colonies of white branching, with roundish polyp clusters
that are "spiky". Western Pacific; Madang, PNG. N. Sulawesi
pic. |
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| Dendronephthya sp. Here as glomerate colonies
in N. Sulawesi. |
 
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Genus Lemnalia Gray 1868: Slender branched, tree-like soft corals with long,
bare, thin stalks and branches, small roundish polyps sparsely distributed on branches, twigs,
and cannot retract into body. Indo-West Pacific; East Africa to Australia,
Japan.
| Lemnalia sp. N. Sulawesi pix. |
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Genus Litophyton Forsskal 1775: Tree Soft Corals. Bush to tree-like in
overall appearance. Up to half a meter in height. One type of polyp structure
that are non-retractile, clustered terminally on branches
| Litophyton arboreum Red Sea. Variable in color
depending where growing, season. Red Sea and N. Sulawesi images. |
 
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Genus Nephthea Audouin 1826: Bush- or tree-like in appearance. To a
foot and a half tall. Soft to touch. One type of polyps that are non-retractile,
clustered terminally on branches, lobe-like. Most often are colored
brownish-yellow, but also found brownish-green to purple. Color owing to their
zooxanthellae. Common to abundant in wave-protected shallow reef areas in
Indo-western Pacific reefs.
| Nephthea sp. in captivity and in Australia's Great Barrier
Reef. |
 
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Genus Paralemnalia Kukenthal 1913: Shorter, more numerous branching (finger-like
lobes arise from common bases) than Litophyton, Lemnalia spp. Polyps
can or cannot withdraw completely, colonies are limited in their contraction.
| Paralemnalia thyrsoides (Ehrenberg 1834). May be
common where found. Shallow fringing reefs, slopes, flats. To 30 m depths.
Western Pacific; Australia to Japan. N. Sulawesi pix. |
 
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Genus Scleronephthya Studer 1887: Mostly small (less than 4 inch tall)
colonies that are very contractile (often look like blobs at slack tides,
currents, otherwise non-feeding during the day). Often uni-planar and
multi-branched. One-shape polyps that are found only on branches. Lack
zooxanthellae, but come in many colors (mostly orange, but pink, purple, even
white.
| Scleronephthya sp. Indo-Pacific. Similar to
Dendronephthya, differing by possessing highly retractile polyps that lack
sclerites. Just as difficult to maintain in captivity. N. Sulawesi pix. |
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Genus Stereonephthya Kukenthal 1905:
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