Whip corals (Ellisella)
Ellisella
Genus-level entry: species are told apart only by microscopic features (sclerites). Valid genus (WoRMS, AphiaID 125298, checked 2026-10-31). Species recorded from the Maldives: Ellisella elongata, Ellisella maculata.
Possibly present in the Maldives
- English
- Whip corals (Ellisella)
- Scientific
- Ellisella
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- IUCN status
- NE · Not EvaluatedNot Evaluated (NE) as a genus; most species not assessed
- Record in the Maldives
- Possibly present
Description
Whip corals are octocorals that grow as long, thin rods, either unbranched or with a few branches. They are usually red, orange or white and stand out from walls and slopes into the current to feed on plankton. They are common on channel walls and outer reef slopes. Species are told apart only by microscopic features.
In the Maldives
Recorded from the Maldives: museum specimens (n=9). Only one kind of evidence was found, so it is listed as possibly present.
Sources
- marinespecies.org /aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=125298
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Ellisella_NOAA.jpg
Dhivehi name source: No species-level Dhivehi name found in Dhivehi Wikipedia, SeaLifeBase (country: Maldives) or MRS/MMRI invertebrate publications.