I have a question for our colleagues working in the “Coral Reef Triangle” region regarding the distribution of an unusual hanging morphotype of soft coral Stereonephthya imbricans (Order Alcyonacea; Family Nephtheidae) that we observed on the walls of Lucipara atoll [also known as Pulau-pulau Maisel; Latitude: 5° 29' 44.5" (5.4957°) South; Longitude: 127° 32' 12.7" (127.5369°) East] in 1993 while working on The Ecology of the Indonesian Seas.
I would like to find out if anyone else has seen this stalactite-like hanging morphotype anywhere else in the region. I have attached a picture of this morphotype hanging from an overhand on the vertical wall of the atoll. The length of the hanging stalks ranged between 10 cm to 70 cm.
We were lucky to see this hanging morph during a very memorable dive expedition through Banda Sea, and it was Valerie Taylor that brought us to the spot where the attached picture was taken. Since the publishing of the book the Genus Stereonephthya, to which Stereonephthya imbricans belongs to, has been assigned to Family Nephtheidae (http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=291982).
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