Ha, I found it!
I was skimming through Baensch Marine Atlas Vol. 2 today looking for sci. name of the gorgonian I have and stumbled on this.
(sorry, I don't have a scanner and web posting abilities.......)
"Cirrhipathes spiralis (Order: Antipatharia, Family: Antipathidae)
Spiraling wire coral
Hab.: Indo-Pacific, Maldives.
Sex.: Colonies have separate sexes.
Food: Plankton.
S.: The terminal third of these erect, whiplike colonies is coiled. With their small holdfast, they attach to deep, steep drop-offs and terraces. The light polyps, which are arranged radially around the stalks, are extended during the day as well as at night. the coenenchyme is rust red. they are very common along Indo-Pacific reefs.
T: 22-26C, L: 300cm"
There is another species of "spiraling wire coral", but it occurs in Caribbean, Jamaica and colombia. It's sci name is Stichopathes leutkeni
There is another similar, but does not posses spiral shape.
"Cirrhipathes anguina
Coiled wire coral
Hab.: Indo-Pacific, Maldives, Australia, New Caledonia, Hawaii.
Sex: Dioecious.
Food: Plankton
S.: Attached by small holdfast, C. anguina lives on reef slopes and terraces at depths of 15-60 m. It is erect, unbranched, and coiled. Coloration of the coenenchyme varies, but is is usually olive green to orange red. Polyps are generally light, almost transparent, and expanded during the day.
T: 22-26C, L: 70cm"
More info on this order Antipatharia:
"Antipatharians are commonly called black corals because of their brown to black skeleton. In the jewelry trade, the skeletons are fashioned into beads, necklaces...etc. Each polyps ofthese colonial corals has 6 tentacles. Colonies generally grow on hard substrates.
Unlike stony corals, the skeleton of black corals does not contain calcium. It is thorny and made of an elastic, hornlike substance not unlike the skeletal material of gorgonians. While there are parallels between gorgonian and antipatharian skeletons, there are differences as well.
The axial skeleton is covered by a thin, soft living layer, the coenenchyme. Embedded within tand interconnected through the common basal substance of the coenenchyme are the cylindrical, small -- just a few milimeters in size -- polyps. Though rare, some polyps will have eight instead of six tentacles encircling their oral opening. Their short, thick, unbranched tentacles are non retractable.
..................Very little is known about their reporductive biology. It is known that the polyps of one colony are either male or female. Hermaphroditic colonies seem to be the minority.
.............Most black corals are protected by the Washington Endangered Species Act. They play an insignificant role in the marine aquarium hobby."[/i]
