The Vargas Cespitularia is an exciting new soft released by ORA which has a long and storied history. Originally discovered in the Indo-Pacific, this large bodied Xeniid has long fleshy stalks topped by large feathery polyps. Although very colorful, the Vargas Cespitularia has purple body and yellow polyps which are not fluorescent, but they are instead chromatic in nature.
Whereas most Cespitularia available to us such as the ORA Blue Cespitularia are rather small in body and in features, the Vargas Cespitularia is much grander and some other features caused some reefers to mistakenly identify it as a species of Efflatournaria. After much debate the hobby has concluded that this purple softy is indeed a Cespitularia, an assertion which was confirmed by further analysis by Octocoral specialist Michael Janes of Aquatouch.
The Purple Vargas Cespitularia has been circulating among American hobbyists for over five years and it has proven to be an exceptional aquarium coral. It can grow very well and very fast but like other Cespitularias it can also decline due to unknown causes. However, even in a basic low energy, low tech reef tank the Vargas Purple Cespitularia can do well and become quite a looker. [ORA]
