Chironephthya soft corals are found on the seaward slope and in reef passes or on pinnacles exposed to swift currents through those passes. Occasionaly colonies can be found on lagoon bottom shipwrecks. They are most common rather deep, 30m or so on pinnacles and more than 50m on the seaward slope. They come in a range of colors, some of which could be different species. We have also seen these listed as Siphonogorgia, apparently a very similar genus, but currently follow Gosliner et al (1996) in calling them Chironephthya since it appears that each polyp retracts to form a distinct calyx.
Created 15 October 2020
Updated 10 March 2024