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