Summary

Cladiella pachyclados is an octocoral species that belongs to the Order Alcyonacea. The colony of C. pachyclados is sessile, firm and fleshy and has a stubby lobed form which gives it a very lumpy appearance.Colonies are generally gray-white or pale brown in colour contrast to the brown polyps. A significant characteristic of this species is the quick retraction of polyps which causes an instantaneous change from brown to white of the colony.

C. pachyclados is commonly found attached on hard substrates on rocky coasts with high wave intensity in order to eliminate the mucus produced by the colony. The presence of zooxanthellae in the soft coral allows it to use photosynthesis to meet its energy requirements. Besides that, the colonies also capture tiny food particles and absorb the dissolved organic matter. This species reproduce sexually through broadcast spawning. The polyps possess eight fringed tentacles which is a common characteristic of octocorals. Sclerites of the C. pachyclados are tiny and generally roughended dumbbell shapes. The Cladiella species is widely distributed and mainly spotted in the Red Sea and Indian Oceans. This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List for Endangered Species.

This webpage hopes to provide more detailed information on this Cladiella species as literature found is very limited. Three different experiments were conducted in the aspects of Chemical Ecology, Reproduction and Propagation and Sclerites Observation.