''Palythoa mutuki'' is a species of

zoanthid Zoanthids ( order Zoantharia also called Zoanthidea or Zoanthiniaria) are an order of cnidarians commonly found in coral reefs, the deep sea and many other marine environments around the world. These animals come in a variety of different coloniz ...

generally found in the Indo-Pacific but also common off the west coast of South America. It occurs at depths ranging between 0 - 28m, being found in both

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

and

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

s. It was found to hold a higher diversity of associated species than ''

Zoanthus sansibaricus ''Zoanthus sansibaricus'' is a species of zoanthid generally found in the Indo-pacific but also off the western coast of South America. The range of habitation has been noted in intertidal zones along with areas below 7 m, but shows phenotypical ...

'', which inhabits a similar niche. Recent research has indicated that several compounds taken from the ethanolic extract of Palythoa Mutuki have shown strong anti-viral activity towards the dengue virus, which may someday contribute towards a cure for the disease.

Gallery

File:Palythoa-mutuki-from-chaloklum-diving-thailand.jpg, ''Palythoa mutuki'' in Thailand File:Palythoa mutuki Closed.jpg, Closed ''Palythoa mutuki'' due to wave action in an Ecuadorian tidepool File:Palythoa mutuki Closed2.jpg, Closed ''Palythoa mutuki'' due to wave action in an Ecuadorian tidepool

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3950766 mutuki Animals described in 1891