''Capnella'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
soft coral
Alcyonacea is the old scientific order name for the informal group known as "soft corals". It is now an unaccepted name for class Octocorallia. It became deprecated .
The following text should be considered a historical, outdated way of treatin ...
s in the family
Nephtheidae
Nephtheidae is a Family (biology), family of Alcyonacea, soft corals in the phylum Cnidaria. Members of this family are known as carnation corals, tree corals or colt soft corals. They are very attractive and show a wide range of rich and pastel ...
. They are also commonly known as Kenya tree corals.
Species
*''
Capnella arbuscula''
Verseveldt, 1977
*''
Capnella australiensis''
(Thorpe, 1928)
*''
Capnella bouilloni''
Verseveldt, 1976
*''
Capnella erecta''
Verseveldt, 1977
*''
Capnella fructosa''
*''
Capnella fungiformis''
Kükenthal, 1903
*''
Capnella gaboensis''
Verseveldt, 1977
*''
Capnella garetti''
Verseveldt, 1977
*''
Capnella imbricata''
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)
*''
Capnella johnstonei''
Verseveldt, 1977
*''
Capnella lacertiliensis''
Macfadyen
*''
Capnella parva''
Light, 1913
*''
Capnella portlandensis
''Capnella'' is a genus of soft corals in the family Nephtheidae. They are also commonly known as Kenya tree corals.
Species
*'' Capnella arbuscula'' Verseveldt, 1977
*'' Capnella australiensis'' (Thorpe, 1928)
*'' Capnella bouilloni'' Verseveld ...
''
Verseveldt, 1977
*''
Capnella ramosa
''Capnella'' is a genus of soft corals in the family Nephtheidae. They are also commonly known as Kenya tree corals.
Species
*'' Capnella arbuscula'' Verseveldt, 1977
*'' Capnella australiensis'' (Thorpe, 1928)
*'' Capnella bouilloni'' Verseveld ...
''
Light, 1913
*''
Capnella sabangensis''
Roxas, 1933
*''
Capnella shepherdi''
Verseveldt, 1977
*''
Capnella spicata''
(May)
*''
Capnella susanae
''Capnella'' is a genus of soft corals in the family Nephtheidae. They are also commonly known as Kenya tree corals.
Species
*'' Capnella arbuscula'' Verseveldt, 1977
*'' Capnella australiensis'' (Thorpe, 1928)
*'' Capnella bouilloni'' Verseveld ...
''
Williams, 1988
*''
Capnella thyrsoidea
''Capnella'' is a genus of soft corals in the family Nephtheidae. They are also commonly known as Kenya tree corals.
Species
*'' Capnella arbuscula'' Verseveldt, 1977
*'' Capnella australiensis'' (Thorpe, 1928)
*'' Capnella bouilloni'' Verseveld ...
''
(Verrill, 1989)
*''
Capnella watsonae
''Capnella'' is a genus of soft corals in the family Nephtheidae. They are also commonly known as Kenya tree corals.
Species
*'' Capnella arbuscula'' Verseveldt, 1977
*'' Capnella australiensis'' (Thorpe, 1928)
*'' Capnella bouilloni'' Verseveld ...
''
Verseveldt, 1977
Description
Capnella are arborescent, some species are lobed. Generally they are grey with brown polyps. Colour intensity is dependent on light intensity, the higher the intensity of light, the lighter colour of the coral. They form thick trunks with branches that closely resemble trees. In stronger currents they form flatter colonies with shorter branches.
Distribution and habitats
Kenya Tree
coral
Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...
s are widespread throughout the
Indo-pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
region, from the African coast to the
Western Pacific. They are found on coral
reef
A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...
slopes in clear water from deep to the shallows with strong tidal currents. Sometimes found in shadier places and on coral rubble in shallow water close to the shore.
Biology
They have
symbiotic algae from which they obtain most of their nutrients.
Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes or change in the number of chromosomes. The offspring that arise by asexual reproduction from either unicellular or multicellular organisms inherit the f ...
has been observed. They form distinctive swellings at bottom of a branch which then drops off by
fission
Fission, a splitting of something into two or more parts, may refer to:
* Fission (biology), the division of a single entity into two or more parts and the regeneration of those parts into separate entities resembling the original
* Nuclear fissio ...
at the swelling. The branch then secures to a new hold and forms a new colony. They can stick very quickly and will be firmly rooted within a day. Colonies can bend and reattach to the rock or by “creeping” and division at the base.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1453388
Nephtheidae
Octocorallia genera
Taxa named by John Edward Gray