| Summary: | Among symbiotic associations, cases of pseudo-auto-epizoism, in which a species uses a resembling but not directly related species as substrate, are poorly documented in coral reef ecosystems. In the present study, we assessed the distribution of an association between the hydrocorals <i>Stylaster roseus</i> and <i>Millepora alcicornis</i> on about 50% of coral reef sites studied in Bonaire, southern Caribbean. Although previously thought to be uncommon, associations between the lace coral <i>S. roseus</i> and the fire coral <i>M. alcicornis</i> were observed at both the windward and leeward sides of Bonaire, mainly between 15 and 25 m depth, reaching a maximum occupation of 47 <i>S. roseus</i> colonies on a single <i>M. alcicornis</i> colony. Both species’ tissues did not show any signs of injuries, while an in-depth inspection of the contact points of their skeletons revealed that both partners can partially overgrow each other. How it is possible that <i>S. roseus</i> is able to settle on the stinging tissue of <i>Millepora</i> as well as how, by contrast, the latter may facilitate the lace coral by offering a certain degree of protection are questions that deserve further investigations.
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