About Eunephthya thyrsoidea (Verrill, 1865)
Eunephthya thyrsoidea, commonly called cauliflower soft coral, grows in colonies that reach up to 30 centimeters in height. Its individual polyps have a diameter of 0.2 centimeters. This species forms large whitish colonies, with side branches that end in clusters of polyps tinged grey or brown. It is distributed off the South African coast from the Cape Peninsula to northern KwaZulu-Natal, and also occurs at Port Stephens in New South Wales. It inhabits depths between 10 and 240 meters underwater. It is most often found on vertical rock faces. When it is not feeding, it contracts tightly, which gives it a striking resemblance to a cauliflower. The walking anemone Preactis millardae feeds on this species.
