Dichotella

Scientific name : Dichotella

Gorgonian colonies with typical dichotomous branching. Long branches, planar or bushy colonies. Variable colour, red to yellow to white, often with white polyps. Polyps are very contractile but nor rettractile, always visible as scales or small mounds. Height can exceed 1 m. Similar to Ellisella and Junceella. The former has more elongate and spaced branching, the second is unbranched. sclerites analisys allows to separate Dichotella from Ellisella.

Associated organisms
Associations with shrimps like Periclimenes sp. 1, Hamodactylus boschmai, Hamodactylus noumeae, with gobies and parasitic ovulids.