What is Octocorallia?
{{Automatic taxobox | taxon = Octocorallia | image = Pink soft coral Nick Hobgood.jpg | image_caption = ''[[Dendronephthya klunzingeri]]'' | authority = Haeckel, 1866 | subdivision_ranks = Orders | subdivision = * [[Alcyonacea]] * [[Helioporacea]] * [[Pennatulacea]] * [[Octocorallia incertae sedis]] | synonyms= * Alcyonaria }} '''Octocorallia''' is a subclass of the [[Anthozoa]] in the phylum [[Cnidaria]]. There are over 3.000 different [[species]]. These animals have an eight-fold [[symmetry]]. Most are [[colony (biology)|colonial]] [[sessile]] [[polyp]]s. Octocorallia look like the [[stony coral]]s. Stony corals have a six-fold symmetry, and are classified in the group [[Hexacorallia]]. Unlike the stony corals, most Octocoralllia lack a lasting [[skeleton]]. For this reason, they do not build [[coral reef]]s. An older name for this group is '''Alcyonaria'''. Many species form [[symbiosis|symbioses]] with [[unicellular]] [[algae]]. Octocorallia have many enemies: For this reason, many are [[toxic]], or they taste bad. Many species of the Octocorallia can reproduce both [[sexual reproduction|sexually]] and [[asexual reproduction|asexually]]: It is common to find a colony of Octocorallia, where most polyps have the same sex. [[Category:Cnidarians]]