Telesto soft corals (no English common name)

Telesto

Genus-level entry: species are told apart only by microscopic features (sclerites). Valid genus (WoRMS, AphiaID 177688, checked 2026-10-31). Species recorded from the Maldives: Telesto rubra, Telesto trichostemma.

English: Telesto soft corals (no English common name)
Scientific: Telesto
Dhivehi: No recorded Dhivehi name

Group: Soft corals and sea fans
Family: Tubiporidae (organ-pipe coral and relatives)
IUCN status: NE · Not EvaluatedNot Evaluated (NE) as a genus; most species not assessed

Description

A soft coral that forms thin, upright, branching tubes rising from creeping stolons. The tubes carry small white polyps. Species are told apart only by microscopic features.

In the Maldives

Recorded from the Maldives: museum specimens (n=12); literature records via OBIS.

Sources

marinespecies.org /aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=177688

Dhivehi name source: No species-level Dhivehi name found in Dhivehi Wikipedia, SeaLifeBase (country: Maldives) or MRS/MMRI invertebrate publications.