Carijoa riisei is a colonial soft coral with a tangled, bushy growth form. It has hollow branches that may be 30 cm (12 in) long, growing from a creeping stolon. The branches grow by budding off the stolon and have ei… See more

Carijoa riisei was originally thought to be native to the tropical and semi-tropical western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Its range extends from South Carolina to Brazil. It is now thought to … See more

Carijoa riisei is an azooxanthellate species. This means that its tissues do not contain the symbiotic single-celled protists known as zooxanthellae to provide it with energy, as most species of coral do. Instead it needs to catch all … See more

In Hawaii, at depths below about 75 m (246 ft), the invasive Carijoa riisei overgrows and kills the native black corals Antipathes dichotoma and Antipathes grandis. These are slow-growing stony corals with black skeletons, … See more

• Photos of Carijoa riisei on Sealife Collection See more