Alcyonacea

Soft coral

Cladiella sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Anthozoa
Subclass:	Octocorallia
Order:	Alcyonacea Lamouroux, 1812 ^[1]
Suborders
Alcyoniina Calcaxonia Holaxonia Protoalcyonaria Scleraxonia Stolonifera
Synonyms
Gorgonacea

The Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals which do not produce calcium carbonate skeletons. Soft corals contain minute, spiny skeletal elements called sclerites, useful in species identification. Sclerites give these corals some degree of support and give their flesh a spiky, grainy texture that deters predators. In the past soft corals were thought to be unable to lay new foundations for future corals, but recent findings suggest that colonies of the leather-coral genus Sinularia are able to cement sclerites and consolidate them at their base into alcyonarian spiculite,^[2] thus making them reef builders.

Unlike stony corals, most soft corals thrive in nutrient-rich waters with less intense light. Almost all utilize symbiotic photosynthesizing zooxanthella as a major energy source. However, most will readily eat any free floating food, such as zooplankton, out of the water column. They are integral members of the reef ecosystem and provide habitat for fish, snails, algae and a diversity of other marine species.

Many soft corals are easily collected in the wild for the reef aquarium hobby, as small cuttings are less prone to infection or damage during shipping than stony corals. Nevertheless, home-grown specimens tend to be more adaptable to aquarium life and help conserve wild reefs. Soft corals grow quickly in captivity and are easily divided into new individuals, and so those grown via aquaculture are often hardier and less expensive than imported corals from the wild. The most common examples of this are various species of Actinodiscus, especially common red mushroom coral.

Suborders and families

The World Register of Marine Species lists the following suborders and families:^[1]

Suborder Alcyoniina
- Family Alcyoniidae
- Family Nephtheidae
- Family Nidaliidae
- Family Paralcyoniidae
- Family Xeniidae
Suborder Calcaxonia
- Family Chrysogorgiidae
- Family Dendrobrachiidae
- Family Ellisellidae
- Family Ifalukellidae
- Family Isididae
- Family Primnoidae
Suborder Holaxonia
- Family Acanthogorgiidae
- Family Gorgoniidae
- Family Keroeididae
- Family Plexauridae
Suborder Protoalcyonaria
- Family Taiaroidae

Suborder Scleraxonia
- Family Anthothelidae
- Family Briareidae
- Family Coralliidae
- Family Melithaeidae
- Family Paragorgiidae
- Family Parisididae
- Family Subergorgiidae
Suborder Stolonifera
- Family Acrossotidae
- Family Clavulariidae
- Family Coelogorgiidae
- Family Cornulariidae
- Family Pseudogorgiidae
- Family Tubiporidae
Unassigned
- Family Acanthoaxiidae
- Family Haimeidae
- Family Viguieriotidae

A close-up of an alcyonacean showing individual polyps
Dendronephthya klunzingeri
Field of Callogorgia sp. with ophiuroid symbiont

References

Wikispecies has information related to: Alcyonacea

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alcyonaria.

1 2 van Ofwegen, L. (2011). "Alcyonacea Lamouroux, 1812". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
↑ Kenji Konishi, "Alcyonarian spiculite: the limestone of soft corals", 1981; M.-S. Jeng, H.-D. Huang, C.-F. Dai, Y.-C. Hsiao and Y. Benayahu. (15 May 2011), "Sclerite calcification and reef-building in the fleshy octocoral genus Sinularia (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea)", Earth and Environmental Science, Coral Reefs doi:10.1007/s00338-011-0765-z.

Corals and coral reefs

Stony corals	Scleractinia Blue coral Brain coral Elkhorn coral Hermatypic coral Chalice coral Pillar coral Staghorn coral Table coral

Soft corals	Alcyonacea Black coral Bamboo coral Organ pipe coral Sea fans Sea pens

Coral reefs	Atoll reef Cay Fringing reef Microatoll Coral reef fish Census of Coral Reefs The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs Catlin Seaview Survey

Coral regions	List of reefs Deep-water coral African coral reefs Amazon Reef Andros, Bahamas Belize Barrier Reef Coral Sea Islands Coral Triangle Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Great Barrier Reef Maldives Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System New Caledonia Barrier Reef Pulley Ridge Raja Ampat Islands Red Sea Southeast Asian coral reefs

Coral diseases	Coral bleaching Black band disease Skeletal eroding band White band disease White pox disease

Protection	Coral Reef Alliance Coral reef protection Green Fins International Society for Reef Studies Project AWARE Reef Check Reef Ball

Other	Artificial reef Aquaculture of coral Coral dermatitis Precious coral Coral rag Coral reef organizations Coral sand Coralline alga Environmental issues with coral reefs Fire coral Reef resilience Rugosa (extinct) Symbiodinium Tabulata

Taxon identifiers	EoL: 1760 GBIF: 1437 ITIS: 52016 NCBI: 40677 WoRMS: 1365

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