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Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Mountains in the Deep: Exploring the Central Pacific Basin. The polyps, curled downward against the main axis, are encased in plate-like sclerites. Sclerites are formed in special cells in the octocoral that secrete a protein matrix around which the calcite crystals are deposited.Ī fragment of a Primnoidae colony (genus Narella) under a microscope showing three pairs of polyps. They range in size from the tiny 0.02 millimeter long ovoid sclerites of the soft coral Xenia to the “giant” 5 millimeter paver stone-like sclerites of Paracis.

Sclerites are small aggregates of calcium carbonate (in its calcitic mineral form) embedded in the soft tissue of octocorals. Because they are so varied in shape, size, and abundance in the tissue, they are used by taxonomists-specialists in the description, naming, and identification of species-to help sort out the diversity of octocoral species. What are these structures? Sclerites are part of the microskeleton of an octocoral that provides support and protection. You usually don’t have to listen to very much of an Okeanos Explorer dive before you hear one of the scientists refer to “sclerites” when looking closely at an octocoral.

Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Windows to the Deep 2021. Octocorals, like the one seen here, can be difficult to identify through video footage, so scientists use an animal's sclerites to help differentiate them from each other and determine when a new species has been found. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

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Instal the new for windows Skeletal Avengers