The pulsating xenid (Heteroxenia fuscescens) is a species of soft coral in the family Xeniidae. The species was first described in 1834 by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg as Xenia fuscescens.
Se
SedentarySedentary animals lead such a type of lifestyle in which little to or no physical activity is done. These are mostly marine bottom-dwelling animals...
Ov
OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
P
starts withThe polyps of Heteroxenia fuscescens grow to form large clumping colonies up to 60 centimetres (24 in) across. Its polyp stalks are approximately 5 centimetres (2.0 in) long, each stalk ending in a ring of large feathery pinnate tentacles, eight per polyp, as is typical of octocorals Polyps pulsate rhythmically around 40 times/ minute, moving their tentacles in a "pumping" or "pulsating" fashion. The function of this pulsing is not fully understood. Some hypotheses include creating a current to assist feeding, respiration, and helping to dispose of waste and detritus. It contains zooxanthellae, and draws most of its energy from these symbiotes.
These corals live on hard bottoms of lagoons and bays, and slopes with little current, and occurs from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
