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Sympodium subtilis is a small soft coral, its colonies are characterized by a remarkably thin and delicate spreading membrane.
The living colonies have polyps arranged in groups
The largest known colony has an area of about 15 mm², so a case for a magnifying glass :-)
The polyps emerge from the membrane at a distance of 1 - 5 mm and are retracted to different degrees
Expanded polyps are up to 1.5 mm long and their tentacles are about 0.5 mm long, with 3 - 5 leaflets on each side of the tentacle.
Etymology. The name of the species "subtilis" is derived from the Latin word for" delicate" and refers to the delicate crustal membrane of this species.
Literature reference:
Benayahu, Y.; Ekins, M.; McFadden, C.S. (2021)
Overview of the genus Sympodium (Ehrenberg, 1834) (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea, Xeniidae), with the description of new species, revealing regional endemism.
https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/html/FB5F8935FFD1FFBCFF0CFCED3C44D63D
Published under CC0 Public Domain Dedication
The living colonies have polyps arranged in groups
The largest known colony has an area of about 15 mm², so a case for a magnifying glass :-)
The polyps emerge from the membrane at a distance of 1 - 5 mm and are retracted to different degrees
Expanded polyps are up to 1.5 mm long and their tentacles are about 0.5 mm long, with 3 - 5 leaflets on each side of the tentacle.
Etymology. The name of the species "subtilis" is derived from the Latin word for" delicate" and refers to the delicate crustal membrane of this species.
Literature reference:
Benayahu, Y.; Ekins, M.; McFadden, C.S. (2021)
Overview of the genus Sympodium (Ehrenberg, 1834) (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea, Xeniidae), with the description of new species, revealing regional endemism.
https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/html/FB5F8935FFD1FFBCFF0CFCED3C44D63D
Published under CC0 Public Domain Dedication
