The sea pens (Pennatulacea) and blue coral (Helioporacea) continue to be assigned separate orders, whereas the current order Alcyonacea was historically represented by four orders: Alcyonacea, Gorgonacea, Stolonifera and Telestacea.
The sea pens (Pennatulacea) and blue coral (Helioporacea) remain classified separately into distinct orders, whereas the current order Alcyonacea was formerly made up of four separate orders: Alcyonacea, Gorgonacea, Stolonifera, and Telestacea.