About Ectopleura crocea (Agassiz, 1862)
Ectopleura crocea resembles a long-stemmed flower with narrow petals. Its stem is covered by a protective sheath. The polyps are pink or orange and white, with an outer ring of long tentacles. Short tentacles surround the mouth, growing from a cluster of yellow, bead-like bunches of reproductive sporosacs. This species is native to the Atlantic coast of North America. It also occurs in the Mediterranean Sea, the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the west coast of North America. In this species' colonies, male and female sporosacs develop on separate hydranths, which are the colony's feeding individuals. Ectopleura crocea feeds on tiny planktonic crustaceans.
