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Leptogorgia diffusa forms rather small, loose colonies with branches arising from a single basal stem.
The in situ photo shows a gorgonian with relatively few and not very closely spaced branches, on page 33 of the paper "A revision of the genus Leptogorgia Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857 (Coelenterata: Octocorallia: Gorgoniidae) in the eastern Pacific" a much denser colony is shown, which in this form can capture fine zooplankton from the current much more effectively.
The floppy looking flattened branches, the large polyps that create a zigzag appearance, and the brick red coloration are distinct characteristics for this species of gorgonian.
The appearance of branching and the arrangement of the polyps with a serrated or zigzag arrangement are other identifying characteristics of this horn coral.
Naming:
The Latin word "diffuses" means "spreading," perhaps referring to the open, shrubby appearance the branches produce.
Synonym: Litigorgia diffusa Verrill, 1868
The in situ photo shows a gorgonian with relatively few and not very closely spaced branches, on page 33 of the paper "A revision of the genus Leptogorgia Milne Edwards & Haime, 1857 (Coelenterata: Octocorallia: Gorgoniidae) in the eastern Pacific" a much denser colony is shown, which in this form can capture fine zooplankton from the current much more effectively.
The floppy looking flattened branches, the large polyps that create a zigzag appearance, and the brick red coloration are distinct characteristics for this species of gorgonian.
The appearance of branching and the arrangement of the polyps with a serrated or zigzag arrangement are other identifying characteristics of this horn coral.
Naming:
The Latin word "diffuses" means "spreading," perhaps referring to the open, shrubby appearance the branches produce.
Synonym: Litigorgia diffusa Verrill, 1868
