''Eunicea'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of gorgonian-type
octocorals
Octocorallia (also known as Alcyonaria) is a class of Anthozoa comprising around 3,000 species of water-based organisms formed of colonial polyps with 8-fold symmetry. It includes the blue coral, soft corals, sea pens, and gorgonians (sea fan ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Plexauridae
Plexauridae is a family of marine colonial octocorals in the phylum Cnidaria. Members of this family are found in shallow tropical and subtropical seas. Many species contain symbiotic photosynthetic protists called zooxanthellae.
Characteristi ...
. These branched octocorals typically have knobby protuberances from which the polyps protrude. They are often stiffened by purple
sclerite
A sclerite (Greek , ', meaning " hard") is a hardened body part. In various branches of biology the term is applied to various structures, but not as a rule to vertebrate anatomical features such as bones and teeth. Instead it refers most commonly ...
s and some colonies, in brightly lit back-reef areas are purple, though most colonies are brown or grey. The polyps in some species are large and feathery in appearance. The growth of these corals is rapid and they can be kept in a
reef aquarium
A reef aquarium or reef tank is a marine aquarium that prominently displays live corals and other marine invertebrates as well as fish that play a role in maintaining the tropical coral reef environment. A reef aquarium requires appropriatel ...
.
Species
The World Register of Marine Species lists these species:
*''
Eunicea aspera''
Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860
*''
Eunicea asperula''
Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857
*''
Eunicea calyculata''
(Ellis & Solander, 1786)
*''
Eunicea castelnaudi''
Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857
*''
Eunicea citrina''
Valenciennes, 1855
*''
Eunicea clavigera''
Bayer, 1961
*''
Eunicea distans''
Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860
*''
Eunicea echinata''
Valenciennes, 1855
*''
Eunicea esperi''
Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860
*''
Eunicea flexuosa''
(Lamouroux, 1821)
*''
Eunicea fusca''
Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860
*''
Eunicea gracilis''
Valenciennes, 1855
*''
Eunicea heteropora''
(Lamarck, 1816)
*''
Eunicea hicksoni''
Stiasny, 1935
*''
Eunicea hirta''
Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860
*''
Eunicea humilis''
Milne Edwards, 1857
*''
Eunicea inexpectata''
Stiasny, 1939
*''
Eunicea knighti''
Bayer, 1961
*''
Eunicea laciniata''
Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860
*''
Eunicea laxispica''
(Lamarck, 1815)
*''
Eunicea lugubris''
Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860
*''
Eunicea madrepora''
(Dana, 1846)
*''
Eunicea mammosa''
Lamouroux, 1816
*''
Eunicea multicauda''
(Lamarck, 1816)
*''
Eunicea pallida''
Garcia Parrado & Alcolado, 1996
*''
Eunicea palmeri''
Bayer, 1961
*''
Eunicea pinta''
Bayer & Deichmann, 1958
*''
Eunicea sayoti''
Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860
*''
Eunicea sparsiflora''
Kunze, 1916
*''
Eunicea stromyeri''
Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860
*''
Eunicea succinea''
(Pallas, 1766)
*''
Eunicea tayrona''
Sánchez, 2009
*''
Eunicea tourneforti''
Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857
*''
Eunicea turgida''
Ehrenberg, 1834
References
Plexauridae
Octocorallia genera
{{octocorallia-stub