About Parazoanthus axinellae (Schmidt, 1862)
Parazoanthus axinellae (Schmidt, 1862) is yellow or orange in color. Each of its polyps has 24 to 36 tentacles arranged in two whorls. The polyps measure 5 millimeters (0.20 in) in diameter and 20 millimeters (0.79 in) in height. Individual polyps are connected in small colonies by a continuous layer of tissue called the coenenchyme. This species sometimes develops thick yellow spongy masses of tissue at the base of each zooid. A related similar zoanthid, Parazoanthus anguicomus, differs by having a greater number of tentacles. Parazoanthus axinellae is distributed in the temperate eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It lives at depths between 23 and 45 meters (75 and 148 ft), growing on rocky substrates. In the Mediterranean Sea, this species often forms dense clusters, and it is frequently found living in association with the soft coral Alcyonium acaule. The biodiverse habitats where this species occurs host other suspension feeders including sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, and tunicates, and the underlying rock is encrusted with coralline algae. Colonies of Parazoanthus axinellae may sometimes divide to form two separate, closely positioned colonies. Colonies that grow close to one another can occasionally merge together.
