Plexauridae

Swiftia sp.

The Plexauridae are the most species-rich family gorgonienähnlicher octocorals.

Features

The animal colonies form a flexible, horn -like axial skeleton, which has a broad, is divided into several chambers inside Medula from Gorgon, and an outer, soft rind -like cortex. The cortex has pockets which are filled with hard crystals of calcium carbonate or a fibrous material. The medulla is the Coenenchym covered, from which the eight-pointed polyps grow.

System

The family is probably paraphyletic. In a phylogenetic study of 103 genera of Octocorallia, including 17 of the Plexauridae the genera of the subfamily Stenogorgiinae found as far-flung branches in a large Holaxonia - Alcyoniina clade. In contrast, the subfamily Plexaurinae is monophyletic to the exclusion of the genus Plexaura.

• Subfamily Plexaurinae, especially caribbean Alaskagorgia
• Anthoplexaura
• Eunicea Lamouroux, 1816
• Euplexaura Verrill, 1865
• Muricea Lamouroux, 1821
• Plexaura Lamouroux, 1812
• Plexaurella Valenciennes, 1855
• Psammogorgia Verrill, 1868
• Pseudoplexaura Wright & Studer, 1889

• Astrogorgia
• Echinogorgia
• Heterogorgia
• Lepidomuricea
• Menella
• Paramuricea Kölliker, 1865
• Paracis
• Paraplexaura
• Swiftia Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864
• Villogorgia Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860