06/12/2013
Palythoa es un género de corales de la familia Zoanthidae, y está enmarcado en los corales blandos, así denominados porque, al contrario de los corales duros del orden Scleractinia, no generan un esqueleto de carbonato cálcico, por lo que no son generadores de arrecife.
Su nombre común en inglés es moon polyps, pólipos luna, o sea mat, alfombra marina. También se les denomina anémonas incrustantes
Zoanthids and Palythoa are an order of cnidarians commonly found in coral reefs, the deep sea and many other marine environments around the world. These animals come in a variety of different colonizing formations and in numerous colors. They can be found as individual polyps, attached by a fleshy stolon or a mat that can be created from small pieces of sediment, sand and rock. The term "zoanthid" refers to all animals within this order Zoantharia, and should not be confused with "Zoanthus", which is one genus within Zoantharia. They are among the most commonly collected coral in aquaria, easily propagating and being very durable in many water conditions.