Briareum violaceum collected from De Freycinet Island, Kimberley (Photo: Monika Bryce)

Star polyp

Briareum violacea

Most species resemble encrusting soft corals, but due to their body plan they are placed within the gorgonians. Briareum is common in near-shore reefs where it can form extensive fields over hundreds of square meters.

Morphology

Briareum violaceum forms thin encrusting sheets over rocks or live substrate. The colonies consist of two layers, the basal layer (medulla), which is attached to the ground and the upper layer (cortex). Both layers of Briareum violaceum colonies are deep purple due to the colour of the small skeletal structures (sclerites).

Behaviour

Sessile; Suspension feeder

Method of reproduction

Briareum have female and male colonies, and are ‘external brooders’, meaning the sperm are released into the water to fertilise the eggs within the mother colonies. The fertilised eggs develop into larvae inside mucus pouches on the surface of the mother colonies. The brooded larvae often sink to the bottom and settle within a few meters.

Habitat

Marine

Briareum is common in a wide range of habitats, but seems to prefer turbid water or shaded surfaces in clearer water.

Distribution

Found in shallow tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific, but particularly common in the upper 10 m on fore-reefs.

Life Cycle

Sperm, but not eggs, are released into the water, generally a few hours after sunset.

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Subclass: Octocorallia
Order: Alcyonacea
Family: Briareidae
Genus: Briareum
Species: violaceum
Name Published Year: 1833
Scientific Name Authorship: Quoy & Gaimard
Commercial Impact: 

None

Conservation Assessment: Least Concern

Net Conservation Benefits Fund

Share
Facebook Twitter

Cite this page
Western Australian Museum Collections https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/names/briareum-violacea
Accessed 29 Aug 2023

Rights
We support the open release of data and information about our collections.

Text content on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Image content on this page is copyright WA Museum.