Melithaea ochracea

Melithaea ochracea
Knotted fan coral at Pulau Tioman, West Malaysia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Octocorallia
Order: Alcyonacea
Family: Melithaeidae
Genus: Melithaea
Species:
M. ochracea
Binomial name
Melithaea ochracea
(Linnaeus, 1758) [1]

Melithaea ochracea is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Melithaeidae, commonly known as knotted fan coral. It grows in tree-like fans on coral reefs in the South China Sea. It is used in the jewellery industry under the name red spongy coral.

  1. ^ van Ofwegen, Leen (2010). "Melithaea ochracea (Linnaeus, 1758)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2012-02-22.