Alderslade and Fabricius, 2008: 

"Octocorals are a diverse group of reef inhabiting organisms on Indo-Pacific coral reefs. There are three scientific orders in the Subclass Octocorallia: first, the Order Alcyonacea, which contains all species commonly known as soft corals and sea fans; second, the Order Helioporacea, (blue coral), and third, the Order Pennatulacea (sea pens). By far the greatest majority of octocorals found on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) belong to the Order Alcyonacea (the true ‘soft corals’ and ‘gorgonians’). Within this order, about 100 genera in 23 families have been described from shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific to date. In comparison, the Pennatulacea (sea pens) and Helioporacea (blue coral) play a minor role in the octocoral fauna of shallow coral reefs. In sea pens, nine genera in five families are presently known from shallow waters of the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific, where they tend to live in soft bottom habitats often only emerging at night. The blue coral is represented by a single species in the Indo-Pacific. Relatively few detailed octocoral studies exist (e.g. from the GBR and other parts of Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Micronesia, Japan, southeastern Africa and the Red Sea), and there are still major gaps in the understanding of octocoral biogeography. Furthermore, the number of shallow water Indo-Pacific octocoral species is unknown, as many species still await taxonomic description and many genera are in urgent need for revision. The only systematic taxonomic inventory of Indo-Pacific coral reefs is from Palau in Micronesia, where 150 species have been recorded. On the GBR, the species number might be similar, but verification of such an estimate will remain impossible until taxonomic research advances."

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Citation and/or URL

Alderslade, P. and Fabricius, K. 2008, Octocorals, In The Great Barrier Reef: biology environment and management, eds. Hutchings, P. Hoegh-Guldberg, O. and Kingsford, M., CSIRO, 222-245. ©ACRS 2008. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood Australia. http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/5921.htm

Spatial Coverage

 Reef-wide

Temporal Coverage

 Not applicable 

Update Frequency

 Not applicable 

Other Information

None