Octocorallia
Calcigorgia spiculifera
Class
Anthozoa - Subclass Octocorallia - Order
Gorgonacea - Suborder Holaxonia - Family Acanthogorgiidae
In this group of mostly soft corals, the polyps are almost always formed into colonies, each polyp having eight pinnate (side- branching) tentacles. Octocorallians include a number of diverse forms
Subclass Octocorallia: Octocorals. Eight mesenteries.
Order Gorgonacea: Sea fans, sea whips
Order Telestacea
Order Pennatulacea: Sea pens, sea pansies
Order Alcyonaea: Soft corals
Order Helioporacea
Order Stolonifera: Organ pipe corals (among others)
Alcyonacea - sometimes known as 'soft corals'. Often inhabit low tidal zone of rocky shores
Gorgonacea - members secrete a horny material called gorgonin to act as skeletal support. Abundant on coral reefs, especially in the Caribbean.
■──○Alcyonaria
├─○Protoalcyonaria
│ ├─Haimeidae
│ └─Taiaroidae
├─○Stolonifera
│ ├─Clavulariidae
│ ├─Cornulariidae
│ └─Tubiporidae
├─○Telestacea
│ ├─Coelogorgiidae
│ ├─Pseudocladochonidae
│ └─Telestidae
├─○Gastraxonacea
│ └─Pseudogorgiidae*
├─○Gorgonacea
│ ├─○Holaxonia
│ │ ├─Acanthogorgiidae
│ │ ├─Ainigmaptilidae
│ │ ├─Chrysogorgiidae
│ │ ├─Ellisellidae
│ │ ├─Gorgoniidae
│ │ ├─Ifalukellidae
│ │ ├─Isididae
│ │ ├─Keroeididae
│ │ ├─Paramuriceidae
│ │ ├─Plexauridae
│ │ └─Primnoidae
│ └─○Scleraxonia
│ ├─Anthothelidae
│ ├─Briareidae
│ ├─Coralliidae
│ ├─Melithaeidae
│ ├─Paragorgiidae
│ ├─Parisididae
│ └─Subergorgiidae
├─○Alcyonacea
│ ├─Alcyoniidae
│ ├─Astrospiculariidae
│ ├─Maasellidae
│ ├─Nephtheidae
│ ├─Siphonogorgiidae
│ └─Xeniidae
├?─Pennatulacea
└─○Helioporacea
├─Helioporidae
└─Lithotelestidae
Pennatulacea - the sea pens, have a single long main polyp forms a stalk which anchors the colony in its mud substrate. Branches from this bear the feeding and ciliated polyps and generate an inward current of water that keeps the whole colony inflated. It used to be thought that some Edicarian forms were sea-pens, this does not seem to be the case.
See also Race Rocks - Ptilosarcus gurneyi - for more on the Sea Pens.
■──○
Pennatulacea
├─○
Sessiliflorae
│ ├─Anthoptilidae
│ ├─Chunellidae
│ ├─Echinoptilidae
│ ├─Funiculinidae
│ ├─Kophobelemnidae
│ ├─Protoptilidae
│ ├─Renillidae
│ ├─Scleroptilidae
│ ├─Stachyptilidae
│ ├─Umbellulidae
│ └─Veretillidae
└─○
Subselliflorae
├─Pennatulidae
├─Pteroeididae
└─Virgulariidae
page uploaded 16 June 2002, last modified 2 May 2003
(originally uploaded on Kheper Site 3 June 1999)
checked ATW050611
page by
M. Alan Kazlev (
Creative Commons License)
cladograms ©
Mikko Haaramo
this material may be freely used for non-commercial purposes