Coralliidae Lamouroux, 1812

Horvath, Elizabeth Anne, 2019, A review of gorgonian coral species (Cnidaria, Octocorallia, Alcyonacea) held in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History research collection: focus on species from Scleraxonia, Holaxonia, and Calcaxonia - Part I: Introduction, species of Scleraxonia and Holaxonia (Family Acanthogorgiidae), ZooKeys 860, pp. 1-66 : 1

Family Coralliidae Lamouroux, 1812

Diagnosis.

Axis an unjointed medullar region composed of completely fused calcareous sclerodermites (solid calcium carbonate) derived from sclerites; Grillo et al. (1993) indicated calcium carbonate axis of family is not derived from the fusion of sclerites, but rather that there are two different origins for the sclerites and the axial skeleton (concentric addition of CaCO3). Sclerites present as numerous regular capstans, or as rods, plates, and irregular forms without capstans.