The purple variety of Distichopora has a wider and more even distribution in the Marshalls than the other color varieties, and can be found at Kwajalein, Namu and Enewetak Atolls at least. It is the only common Distichopora variety in the southern portion of Kwajalein Atoll and tends to form rather small colonies, usually in shaded ledges. It is common at depths from near the surface to at least 15m. At least one reference we have seen refers to this one as Distichopora violacea.
Polyp tentacles extend from a groove running along the edges of the branches.
The way the branches grow in fans, the extended tentacles will often overlap with those on another branch, forming a rather fine mesh net for capturing the coral's planktonic food.
Some colonies seem to almost merge into the yellow or orange forms.
Occasionally under large rocks on shallow reefs lives a smaller, more delicate form of Distichopora that can come in either purple or orange. This thinner variety is also present in caves in the seaward reef groove and spur system along with one of the Stylaster corals.
From the seaward reef groove and spur system.
The ovulid snail Pedicularia vanderlandi can sometimes be found feeding on various color forms of Distichopora, the color of the snail usually matching quite well the color of the host prey.
A bit more than 1000km to the west and a little south of Kwajalein lies Pohnpei in the eastern Caroline Islands, a part of the Federated States of Micronesia. There a purple variety of Distichopora is common. It often grows more in the open than the purple variety in the Marshalls, and tends to be "knobbier" looking and attain a larger size. We have seen at least one reference refer to this knobbier purple form as Distichopora irregularis. The two photos below are from Pohnpei.
Created 3 April 2020