About Malacacanthus capensis (Hickson, 1900)
Malacacanthus capensis, commonly called sun-burst soft corals, grow up to 15 cm tall. This species has an orange column with a ball at its top, giving it a somewhat mushroom shape. When feeding, bright orange polyps radiate out from the top ball on striped transparent stalks. This species is found off the South African coast, from the Cape Peninsula to southern KwaZulu-Natal, and inhabits water depths between 13 and 93 meters. When threatened, the entire top ball can withdraw into the upper part of the body column. Between the feeding polyps are small dot-like organs called siphonozooids, which function to re-inflate the colony after it contracts.
