Soft coral ID help

[EEE1986]

Hello,
I bought this coral from a local wholesaler and was told that it may be some sort of kenya tree. I wasn't sure whether this was true because I could not find a kenya tree specimen that looked like this but there were a few people on reddit who thought it resembled an NPS such as Scleronephthya sp or a carnation coral. I don't disagree with that assessment but when analyzed by ChatGPT it seemed fairly certain that this was a kenya tree based on polyp shape, to quote:

• Each polyp has smooth, hair-like tentacles
• The tentacles are unbranched
• They form a soft halo around each polyp

That is diagnostic.

What carnation corals would show instead​

True Scleronephthya (and Dendronephthya) have:

• Pinnate tentacles — each tentacle has side branches
• Under magnification, they look like tiny feathers or ferns
• Even one clear pinnate tentacle would be obvious at this zoom level

Your photo shows zero pinnation. None. That alone rules carnation coral out.

Secondary confirms (also visible here)​

Polyp bases (calyces)​

• Rounded, soft, inflated
• Flush with the branch surface
• Carnations have sharper, more rigid calyces.

Tissue continuity​

• Polyps blend smoothly into the branch tissue
• Everything looks elastic and fleshy

Carnation corals look more structural, less “melty.”

Attached are photos under actinic and white lighting + a close up of the polyps. I'm curious what the R2R community thinks

 

[csturgis1989]

Looks like Dendronephthya hemprichi.