Finger leather corals (Sinularia)
Sinularia
Genus-level entry: species are told apart only by microscopic features (sclerites). Valid genus (WoRMS, AphiaID 205854, checked 2026-10-31). Species recorded from the Maldives: Sinularia brassica.
- English
- Finger leather corals (Sinularia)
- Scientific
- Sinularia
- 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 Sinularia are leathery soft corals with finger-like, lobed or ridged branches rising from a firm, encrusting base. Colonies are usually cream, brown or green and grow on reef flats and shallow slopes, where some cover large areas. Species are told apart only by examining their microscopic sclerites.
In the Maldives
Recorded from the Maldives: museum specimens (n=6); iNaturalist research-grade observations at species level (n=1); literature records via OBIS.
Sources
- marinespecies.org /aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=205854
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Flexible_Leather_Coral_(Sinularia_flexibilis)_-_GRB.jpg
Dhivehi name source: No species-level Dhivehi name found in Dhivehi Wikipedia, SeaLifeBase (country: Maldives) or MRS/MMRI invertebrate publications.