Mopsella

Mopsella
Sea fan, Mopsella sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Anthozoa
Subclass:	Octocorallia
Order:	Alcyonacea
Suborder:	Scleraxonia
Family:	Melithaeidae
Genus:	Mopsella Gray, 1857 [1]
Species:	See text

Mopsella is a genus of corals in the family Melithaeidae. Members of the genus are commonly known as sea fans. They are found in the tropical parts of the Indo-Pacific region growing on coral reefs and reef slopes, often in deep water. The type species is Mopsella textiformis.^[2]

Description

Members of the genus Mopsella are arborescent colonial corals forming fans or bushes. The axis or main skeletal "trunk" is jointed, there being nodes, flexible horny joints, separated by internodes composed of hard, calcareous material. The branches divide off at the nodes which are often swollen. The minute calcareous spicules in the flexible membrane called the mesoglea that covers the skeleton are called sclerites. The identity of these spicules is important for identification purposes and in this genus they are predominantly foliate capstans and small clubs, but also include plain spindles, plain capstans and foliate spheroids. In the corallites, the cups surrounding the polyps, the sclerites include larger leaf-clubs. Members of this genus do not have the unicellular symbiotic algae Zooxanthellae in their tissues that many other corals do. Colonies vary in colour but tend to be white or shades of yellow, ochre, orange, red and brown.^[2]

Species

The World Register of Marine Species includes the following species in this genus: ^[1]

References

v t e Corals and coral reefs Stony corals Scleractinia Blue coral Brain coral Elkhorn coral Hermatypic 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 Coral regions Deep-water coral African coral reefs 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 Coral aquaculture Coral dermatitis Coral (precious) Coral rag Coral reef organizations Coral sand Coralline algae Human impact Fire coral Reef resilience Rugosa (extinct) Symbiodinium Tabulate (extinct)