Briareum asbestinum
Taxonomy:
Eukaryota; Opisthokonta; Metazoa; Eumetazoa; Cnidaria; Anthozoa; Octocorallia; Alcyonacea; Scleraxonia; Briareidae; Briareum; asbestinum
General info
Briareum asbestinum is one of the iconic octocorals of the shallow Caribbean coral reefs and exhibits a biform morphology, the digitate and the encrusting one. It thrives in low light environments and provides habitat to several species of micro-invertebrates including one of its main predators, the marine snail Cyphoma gibbosum. B. asbestinum are increasingly abundant on the Caribbean reefs, showing more resilience and resistance to diseases than scleractinian corals over the past decades and thus serve as useful indicators of coral reef health.