Description
Plexaurella nutans is a gorgonian sea rod commonly called the Giant slit-pore sea rod, which grows to over 1 meter tall with thick, branching, and often club-ended branches. It is characterized by a brownish-tan to lavender color and has unique slit-shaped apertures where the polyps emerge, creating a "fuzzy" or "dimpled" surface when extended. This photosynthetic, zooxanthellate coral is found in the Caribbean and South Florida, and it feeds on plankton.
Appearance
-
Height: Colonies can grow to over 1 meter tall.
-
Colony form: Moderately branched, bushy, or tall with sparse branching.
-
Branches: Thick, cylindrical, and moderately robust, with diameters of 7-18 mm. They often have club-shaped or bulbous tips.
-
Apertures: Distinctly slit-shaped, often raised on small mounds, giving the surface a dimpled or fuzzy appearance.
-
Color: Ranges from tan, yellowish-brown, or light brown to gray or sometimes mauve.
Biology and Ecology
Found on patch reefs, outer slopes, and fore reefs in depths from 3 to 49 meters.
A mixotrophic species; it feeds on zooplankton using its polyps and also contains symbiotic photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae) in its tissues.
The internal axis is heavily mineralized with calcite.
Found in the waters of South Florida, Bermuda, and throughout the Caribbean Sea.
