Blue coral
| Blue coral | |
|---|---|
CITES Appendix II
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Octocorallia |
| Order: | Scleralcyonacea |
| Family: | Helioporidae |
| Genus: | Heliopora |
| Species: | H. coerulea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Heliopora coerulea Pallas, 1766
| |
Blue coral (Heliopora coerulea) is a species of colonial coral. It is the only octocoral known to produce a massive skeleton. This skeleton is formed of aragonite, similar to that of scleractinia. Individual polyps live in tubes within the skeleton and are connected by a thin layer of tissue over the outside of the skeleton.