Department of Zoology at ANDC/Zoology Museum/Museum specimens/Cnidaria/Alcyonium

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{|cellpadding="5" cellspacing="6" style="width:100%;background:#FFFFFF; border-style:solid; border-width:3px; border-color:#0066FF;" Date & Time : 28, August 2024      
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=Classification=

Phylum - Cnidaria

Class - Anthozoa

Order - Alcyonacea

Genus - Alcyonium

=Common Name=

Dead man's fingers or Soft coral

=Distribution=

These are found mainly in temperate or cold seas, Atlantic Waters on the North American Coast, Indo-Pacific Ocean waters or even in polar seas.

=Habitat=

It is marine and sedentary in nature. The animal is found in the littoral zones and tidal zones in depths varying from 200m to approximately 3000m.

=Identifying Features=
 * Body wall is diploblastic.


 * Mesoglea has spicules throughout, thus providing strength to coenchyme.


 * Body is divided into base, stalk and lobes which are huge and fleshy beacause of the presence of mesogleal coenenchyme.


 * Body consists of polyps which resemble the shape of a star. These are known as anthocodia.


 * Anthocodia are present only in the distal part.


 * The distal end of each polyp has a central mouth surrounded by pinnate tentacles.

=General Characteristics=


 * The polyps are elongated and yellow in colour.


 * The anthocodia or polyps are buried on the coenchyme in such a way that only the oral ends of these polyps are visible.


 * Stimulus pulls the anthocodia inside the gastrovascular cavity as a result of which the whole column of the polyp gets inverted.
 * External fertilization takes place with a free swimming larval stage called Planula larva.


 * Planula larva turns into sedentary being which forms a colony by budding.



=Alcyonium digitatum=