Members of the family are commonly known as sea fans and are found on reefs in the tropical regions of the Indo-Pacific.

[2] Members of the family Melithaeidae are arborescent colonial corals forming fans, bushes or trees.

The exact shape of these spicules is important for identification purposes and in this family there are a range of different sclerites including foliate capstans and spheroids, plain spindles, plain capstans and small and large clubs.

Members of this family do not have the unicellular symbiotic algae Zooxanthellae that grows in the tissues of many other corals.

[2] The World Register of Marine Species includes the following genera in the family:[1]