Erythropodium caribaeorum

Summary

Erythropodium caribaeorum, commonly known as the encrusting gorgonian or encrusting polyps, is a species of soft coral in the family Anthothelidae. It inhabits coral reefs and rocky bottoms in the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Florida, growing at depths of 0.5 to 25 metres.[2]

Erythropodium caribaeorum
Erythropodium caribaeorum in the Aquarium de La Rochelle
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Octocorallia
Order: Alcyonacea
Family: Anthothelidae
Genus: Erythropodium
Species:
E. caribaeorum
Binomial name
Erythropodium caribaeorum
(Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860)[1]
Synonyms
  • Erythropodium carybaeorum Kölliker, 1865

E. caribaeorum is of interest from a drug discovery perspective because it produces eleutherobin, a diterpene glycoside with potential anticancer activity.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ "Erythropodium caribaeorum (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860)". WoRMS. 2015. Retrieved 2 Feb 2016.
  2. ^ "Erythropodium caribaeorum". SeaLifeBase. 2012. Retrieved 2 Feb 2016.
  3. ^ Singh R, Sharma M, Joshi P, Rawat DS (2008). "Clinical status of anti-cancer agents derived from marine sources". Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 8 (6): 603–617. doi:10.2174/187152008785133074. PMID 18690825.