About Nephtheis fascicularis (Drasche, 1882)
Nephtheis fascicularis, commonly known as the lollipop tunicate, lollipop coral, or blue palm coral, is a species of tunicate. It is native to the shallow reefs of Indonesia, and is the only species classified in the genus Nephtheis. This species is not photosynthetic; it feeds on plankton and small organic particles that it extracts from moving water currents. Its branched stems are formed by tiny individual polyps called zooids. Despite its common names that include the word coral and its coral-like appearance, this species and other related sea squirts are not closely related to true corals.
