Violet Purpura

This species is distributed in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean along Aldabra, Chagos, Kenya, Madagascar and Tanzania, in the Indo-Pacific and along the Galapagos Islands. C. violacea is a colonial species that lives on coral. The species prefers shallow waters, with the majority of specimens being found between 10 and 20 meters below the surface, and all specimens documented less than 100 meters below the surface.

C. violacea is a carnivorous and parasitic predator, and are considered obligate ectoparasites. Like other members of its genus, C. violacea feeds on the living tissue of various corals, causing tissue damage to the corals it lives upon, and further feeding as the coral attempts to repair the tissue damage. Damage to the corals is typically minor, though C. violacea sometimes congregate, causing significant damage associated with larger colonies living on the coral. It is found in association with reef-building corals such as Porites, specifically Porites cylindrica and Porites lobata.