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The Sea-mat colonies vary greatly in form and appearance. They can appear as lumps, nets, slabs, bushes and membranes. Certain types are chalky hard, while other are softer, even jelly like. At a distance certain colonies can appear as fungi or hydroids. It is quite often difficult to determine the specie of sea-mat. Examples of common sea-mats are Crisia, Alcyonidium, Flustrellidra, Membranipora, Electra, Flustra, Scrupocellaria and Cryptosula. The above pictured colonies are about one centimetre wide. |