Habitat: Found on reefs at depths from 20-100m Distribution: Known from Colombia north throughout the Caribbean and in Gulf of Mexico. Observed in Crawl Key, Bocas del Toro, Panama. Natural History Notes: This species has been important commercially as the main axis of the largest colonies is suitable for jewelry. Characteristics: Large, strongly branched, fan-shaped colonies, half a metre or more high. Primary branches often very distinctly curved. Smallest branchlets straight or slightly curved, usually less than 1.5 cm, and are arranged bilaterally along the sides of the branches. Spines short, triangular, smooth, arranged in 7-8 rows with 30-50 spines per cm in each row. Polyps arranged on the branchlets in a single row and in the main confined to only one side of the corallum. Living colonies orange or red-orange. This species is often difficult to distinguish from