Pulse corals
Xenia
Genus-level entry: species are told apart only by microscopic features (sclerites). Valid genus (WoRMS, AphiaID 204396, checked 2026-10-31). Species recorded from the Maldives: Xenia garciae.
Possibly present in the Maldives
- English
- Pulse corals
- Scientific
- Xenia
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Family
- Xeniidae (pulse corals)
- IUCN status
- NE · Not EvaluatedNot Evaluated (NE) as a genus; most species not assessed
- Record in the Maldives
- Possibly present
Description
Pulse corals are soft corals whose feathery polyps open and close rhythmically, like slowly grasping hands. Colonies are white, cream, pale blue or brown and form soft carpets on rocks and dead coral in shallow water. Species are told apart only by microscopic features.
In the Maldives
Recorded from the Maldives: museum specimens (n=1). Only one kind of evidence was found, so it is listed as possibly present.
Sources
- marinespecies.org /aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=204396
Dhivehi name source: No species-level Dhivehi name found in Dhivehi Wikipedia, SeaLifeBase (country: Maldives) or MRS/MMRI invertebrate publications.