From Latin word “aenigma” meaning “mystery”, referring to the observed facultative epizoic relationship and the specimens’ initially surprising phylogenetic [...]
If you’ve ever kept a reef aquarium, then you’re probably already familiar with the soft corals that are classified within the Order Zoantharia. Included here are the ubiquitous “Zoas” and “Palys” that fill many an aquarium, as well as the equally common “Yellow Polyps” (which [...]
One of the most diverse groups of zoantharian corals is also one of the least known amongst aquarists. Epizoanthus is composed of dozens of species, ranging from shallow waters to habitats hundreds of meters deep, from tropical coral reefs to cold temperate climes, and they can be found in [...]
(Continued from Part 1) When it comes to toxic palys, it is the drab brown specimens that we see most often, but there may be at least some colorful phenotypes being fragged. These are traded under the names “Purple Death Paly” and “Nuclear Green Paly”. A definitive identification of [...]
The oceans are full of creatures capable of killing us; one of the more surprising marine menaces is a group of popular aquarium corals known variably as “button polyps”, “palys” and “zoas”. Rather than biting us in half or injecting us with some venomous barb, these nefarious creatures [...]