Ifalukella yanii lives on the tops of large midlagoon pinnacle reefs such as Marita Shoals and Shark City at depths of around 5-20m, where it can form dense stands of mostly short bushes, usually no more than about 25cm tall. The densely branching skeletons are tough and wirey, and the branches stiff and sharp enough to penetrate skin. We suspect this is the sole food for a soft-coral-eating eolid nudibranch in the genus Phyllodesmium.
A dense stand growing on top of a dead table Acropora coral.
Created 26 October 2020