I found this animals on the sand seashore of Qeshm island in Persian Gulf.
It is a colonial animal of the Order Pennatulacea, Family Veretillidae (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Octocorallia) and quite possibly of the genre Cavernularia but I do not know the species. They live half-buried by the white part (on the left of the photo) in sedimentary substrates, while the rest is erect with polyps out of a cylindrical stem.
See: Williams, G.C. (2011). The Global Diversity of Sea Pens (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea). PlosOne, 6 (7)
It can be a colonial Octocoral, those with a fleshy central founder polyp producing smaller polyps, order Alcyonacea probably.
Maybe we can get a close up from a part of the body of this animal and see whether the small "stars" on the surface are polyps with a crown of 8 tentacles surrounding an oral orifice. I send a picture with the region that should be inspected more closely. Sipunculids have an oral orifice in the introvert, so, look at both rounded ends of the body and search for an orifice. The digestive tube is U shaped and winding, and the anal orifice should be thus on the side of the body below the oral orifice and below the line that separated introvert from the rest of the body. You can appreciate in your animal two distinct parts. I still think it is a octocoral, but we have to check. best regards
Examine it. Has had 8 tentacles.
This photo is longitudinal section.
It is a colonial animal of the Order Pennatulacea, Family Veretillidae (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Octocorallia) and quite possibly of the genre Cavernularia but I do not know the species. They live half-buried by the white part (on the left of the photo) in sedimentary substrates, while the rest is erect with polyps out of a cylindrical stem.
See: Williams, G.C. (2011). The Global Diversity of Sea Pens (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea). PlosOne, 6 (7)
Dear Victoriano
Exactly right. I really appreciate your guidance. I found a picture of it on google.
Cavernularia_lutkenii.
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