It is found at moderate depths on shaded rocks in the Mediterranean Sea and adjoining parts of the Atlantic Ocean.

Mediterranean sea-finger is a colonial coral forming clumps of yellow, pink, brown-red to brown orange fleshy masses of finger-like lobes.

This species is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea however its area of distribution overflows slightly and extends along the Portuguese and Spanish Atlantic coasts.

In the Mediterranean Sea, Alcyonium acaule frequently forms dense agglomerations, often in association with the yellow cluster anemone (Parazoanthus axinellae).

Other organisms in these biodiverse habitats include suspension feeders such as sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans and tunicates, and the rock is encrusted with coralline algae.