Porous false Plexaura
Pseudoplexaura porosa
(Houttuyn, 1772)
Description:
Colonies very large, profusely and dichotomously branched, up to 2.25 m. The basal trunk can be 4-5 cm in diameter. End branches very long, slightly tapered and round, with a diameter ranging from 2-7 mm, but averaging 4 mm. Tips of branches soft and slimy. Apertures round to elliptical, gaping and separated from one another by less than their own diameter. Apertures large, 1-1.5 mm, flush with the surface, and arranged in a weak spiral along the branch. Expanding polyps overlap each other.
Color:
Light yellow, brownish or reddish-purple.
Habitat:
Most common on reefs between 3-6 m, but reported as deep as 280 m.
Distribution:
Florida to Colombia.