Finger leather corals (Sclerophytum)
Sclerophytum
Genus-level entry: species are told apart only by microscopic features (sclerites). Valid genus (WoRMS, AphiaID 291543, checked 2026-10-31). Species recorded from the Maldives: Sclerophytum andamanense, Sclerophytum capitale, Sclerophytum densum, Sclerophytum gardineri, Sclerophytum hirtum, Sclerophytum notandum, Sclerophytum pocilloporaeforme, Sclerophytum polydactylum, Sclerophytum querciforme, Sclerophytum rigidum.
- English
- Finger leather corals (Sclerophytum)
- Scientific
- Sclerophytum
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- IUCN status
- NE · Not EvaluatedNot Evaluated (NE) as a genus; most species not assessed
Description
Finger leather corals in the genus Sclerophytum are leathery soft corals with finger-like, lobed or ridged branches rising from a firm base. Colonies are usually cream, brown or green. Many species formerly placed in Sinularia have been moved here. Several were first described from Maldives material collected around 1900. Species are told apart only by examining their microscopic sclerites.
In the Maldives
Recorded from the Maldives: museum specimens (n=23); literature records via OBIS.
Sources
- marinespecies.org /aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=291543
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Sinularia_schlagmani_à_confirmer.jpg
Dhivehi name source: No species-level Dhivehi name found in Dhivehi Wikipedia, SeaLifeBase (country: Maldives) or MRS/MMRI invertebrate publications.