Tubastraea micranthus

(Ehrenberg, 1834)

Vernacular names
English : Green tube coral
French : Tubastrée verte

Classification
Class : Anthozoa
Order : Scleractinia
Family : Dendrophylliidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Colonies are branching, tree-like, and can grow to 1.5 meters in length. Small polyps, up to 1.2 cm in length and 6 mm in diameter. Polyp coloration is brownish to green with bright dark green tentacles set in a flower-like shape.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in the Indo-Pacific area, from Red Sea and East Africa to south Japan, New Caledonia and eastwards to Fiji. Lives in coral reefs, sheltered from the light, with strong current, from 15 to 50 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NOT LISTED
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species status hasn’t been assessed. It has been introduced recently in the Gulf of Mexico. Some countries prohibit its harvest.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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