Sinularia Coral

Sinularia genus

Sinularia Coral

Sinularia genus

Other Common Names
Leather corals

Connected Coasts

Other Common Names

Leather corals

At the Aquarium

Connected Coasts

Appearance

Colony appearance varies greatly between species of this genus. Colonies may be short and grow horizontally with small knobs or ridges, tall with lots of lobes, branched, flat and leaf-like or dish-like.

In some species, a single colony can cover tens of square meters, while others are only several centimeters across. Tightly contracted colonies are generally tough and hard, due to the spindle-shaped sclerites–tiny calcified structures found within the soft tissues of the coral.

Polyps are small with short bodies and tentacles arranged in a disk shape when expanded. Polyps are also able to retract.

Species belonging to the Sinularia genus vary in color including brown, yellow, green or cream. Polyps are usually the same color as the general colony, but may be white or yellow.

Habitat

Widely distributed over many reef habitat types from shallow waters down to at least 40 m

Diet

Zooxanthellae, algae that lives in the coral’s tissue, provides them with nutrients through a process called photosynthesis. Sinularia corals also use their polyps to obtain nutrients from small food particles in the water.

Life History

In near-shore habitats, asexual reproduction by colony fission appears common. Fission occurs when a portion is broken off from the main colony to establish a new colony. The separated individuals can start new coral colonies that are genetically identical to the parent colony.

Members of this genus can also reproduce by releasing sperm and eggs into the water. Fertilized eggs develop into larvae and eventually settle to form new colonies.

IUCN Status

Not Evaluated

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Sinularia corals contribute to the overall health and diversity of coral reefs, playing a role in food webs and providing shelter for juvenile fish. Sinularia corals are food for a variety of marine species such as the butterflyfish Chaetodon unimaculatus.

Widespread, from Africa and the Red Sea in the west to Hawaii in the east

This animal is not native to the Oregon Coast, however is found in the larger Pacific Ocean. It lives in the Aquarium as part of our Connected Coasts gallery.

In most species of this genus, the interior sclerites are over 2 mm long, and in a damaged section they are easily seen with the naked eye. Some sinularia corals are effective at defending themselves against carnivorous fish by releasing chemicals.

Citations & Other Resources

Fabricius, K., Australian Institute of Marine Science., and P. Alderslade. 2001. Soft corals and sea fans : a comprehensive guide to the tropical shallow water genera of the central-west Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Australian Institute of Marine Science.
Bastidas, C., K. Fabricius, and B.L. Willis. 2004. Demographic aspects of the soft coral Sinularia flexibilis leading to local dominance on coral reefs. Hydrobiologia, 530–531(1–3), 433–441. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-004-2663-7
BASTIDAS, C., J.A.H. BENZIE, S. UTHICKE, and K.E. FABRICIUS. 2001. Genetic differentiation among populations of a broadcast spawning soft coral, Sinularia flexibilis, on the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Biology, 138(3), 517–525. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002270000480
Van Alstyne, K. L., C.R. Wylie, and V.J. Paul. 1994. Antipredator defenses in tropical Pacific soft corals (Coelenterata: Alcyonacea) II. The relative importance of chemical and structural defenses in three species of Sinularia. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 178(1), 17–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0981(94)90222-4
Wylie, C. R., and V.J. Paul. 1989. Chemical defenses in three species of Sinularia (Coelenterata, Alcyonacea): effects against generalist predators and the butterflyfish Chaetodon unimaculatus Bloch. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 129(2), 141–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0981(89)90053-1

Sinularia Coral

Sinularia Coral

Other Common Names

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

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