Blainville, 1830
Dendrophyllia ijimai (3)
Type species: Madrepora ramea Linnaeus, 1758
Total number of species estimated: 23 (another 49 species known as fossils).
Characteristics: Corals azooxanthellate, colonial, and attached, some species up to 50 cm in height. Colonies may be small and bushy or dendroid with sympodial branching, but in either case branching is extratentacular. Theca porous (synapticulothecate) and longitudinally costate, feeling sandy to the touch. Inner and upper septal edges smooth, the septa arranged in a Pourtalès plan. Columella prominent: spongy or papillose. Colour: black, yellow, etc. ???
Ecology: Like most other azooxanthellate corals, Dendrophyllia are often cryptic, found in caves and beneath ledges and tends to occur in deeper water than reef corals.
Range: Paleocene (Danian) to Recent: extant species occur worldwide in tropical and temperate waters at depths of 1-900 m. Approximately eight species known from the western Pacific, most occurring in Indonesian waters.
Additional remarks: None.
Key references: Veron, 2000.