Stylaster profundiporus crassicaulis

Japanese: エノシマサンゴ（英語表記）Stylaster profundiporus crassicaulis

Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Gycnocoral order, Gycnocoral family. A hydroid that builds a coral-like skeleton but is made of soft material. It is also called false coral or useless coral because it cannot be processed into ornaments. It grows into a colony about 15 cm tall and branches out in a single plane. It secretes calcium carbonate from the coenchyma to build a pink dendritic skeleton, but the tips of the branches are pale. The surface appears smooth at first glance, but has a fine insect-like pattern. Polyps are found at the back of the chrysanthemum-shaped openings lined up on the branches. There are two types of polyps: thick and short trophic individuals and long, slender finger-like individuals. They are used for ornaments. They are found from central Honshu southward, and attach to rocky reef bottoms at depths of 50 to 150 meters.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

刺胞動物門ヒドロ虫綱ギサンゴ目ギサンゴ科。サンゴ様骨格をつくるが軟らかい材質のヒドロ虫。装飾品に加工できないのでサンゴモドキ，ダメサンゴとも呼ばれる。高さ 15cmほどの群体になり，枝を一平面上に出す。共肉から炭酸カルシウムを分泌して桃色の樹枝状骨格をつくるが，枝の先端部は淡い。表面は一見平滑であるが，微細な虫様の模様がついている。枝に並ぶ菊花状開口の奥部にポリプがある。ポリプは太くて短い栄養個員と細長い指状個員の2型からなる。置物などに利用される。本州中部以南に分布し，水深 50～150mの岩礁底に着生する。

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