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Mussidae
Mussidae is a family of stony coral in the order Scleractinia. Following a taxonomic revision in 2012, the family is now restricted to species found in the Atlantic Ocean, with Pacific species transferred to the new family Lobophylliidae. Many species are referred to as brain coral because their generally spheroid form and grooved surface resembles the convolutions of a brain. Members of this family are found in the reef aquarium trade. Though popular in captivity, they are under threat from environmental destruction like coral bleaching. The Mussidae is one of the coral families most vulnerable to climate change. Taxonomy The family Mussidae has long been recognised on morphological grounds but recent molecular analysis has shown that it, and several other related families, are polyphyletic, the similarities between the species having occurred through convergent evolution. Additionally, some traditional genera such as ''Favia'' and ''Scolymia'' have been found to be polyph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lobophylliidae
Lobophylliidae is a family of large polyp stony corals. The family was created in 2009 after a revision of the "robust" families of Faviidae, Merulinidae, Mussidae and Pectiniidae, which had been shown to be polyphyletic. The family Lobophylliidae was formed out of the Indo-Pacific species that had traditionally been included in Mussidae, and some of the species which had previously formed Pectiniidae, the remaining species from Pectiniidae having been merged into Merulinidae. The type genus is '' Lobophyllia''. Taxonomy The "robust" stony coral families of Faviidae, Merulinidae, Mussidae and Pectiniidae, have traditionally been recognised on morphological grounds but recent molecular analysis has shown that these families are polyphyletic, the similarities between the species having occurred through convergent evolution. Additionally, some traditional genera such as ''Favia'' and '' Scolymia'' have been found to be polyphyletic, with the Atlantic faviids and scolymids being mor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mycetophyllia
''Mycetophyllia'' ''Mycetophyllia'' is a genus of stony corals in the family Mussidae. The genera are native to the Caribbean Sea and sometimes kept in reef aquariums. Like all corals in the Mussidae family, ''Mycetophyllia'' are hermatypic, or reef-building corals. They receive nutrients from their symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, which are single-celled photosynthetic dinoflagellates. They are passive suspension feeders that feed on organic matter suspended in the water column. Morphology These coral colonies have flat disc-like or dome structures with scalloped edges. They also have corallites which cover the surface radially towards the center. Depending on the species, they may have a pattern of valleys and ridges on their surface. They are often brown, green, or grey in color and are identified by their thin plates and irregular ridge pattern. There are five known species within ''Mycetophyllia'' each with unique morphological features. ''Mycetophyllia aliciae'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isophyllia
''Isophyllia'' is a genus of stony coral in the subfamily Mussinae of the family Mussidae. Characteristics ''Isophyllia'' is a colonial coral. Budding is always intracalicular, occurring inside the oral disc of the polyp, within the whorl of tentacles. The corallites are meandroid, that is, they are linked in a short series of up to five centres. The individual corallites are medium-sized, being in diameter and up to high. There are three or more cycles of septa in each corallite, all equal in size. A narrow costate coenosteum separates the corallites. Species The World Register of Marine Species lists the following species : *''Isophyllia rigida'' (Dana, 1848) *''Isophyllia sinuosa ''Isophyllia sinuosa'', the sinuous cactus coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Mussidae. It is found in shallow water in the tropical western Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. Description and habitat ''Isophyllia sinuosa'' is a massi ...'' (Ellis & Solander, 1786) References ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diploria
''Diploria'' is a monotypic genus of massive reef building stony corals in the family Mussidae. It is represented by a single species, ''Diploria labyrinthiformis'', commonly known as grooved brain coral and is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It has a familiar, maze-like appearance. Description This species of reef-building coral has a hemispherical, brain-like shape with a brown, yellow, or grey colour. It has characteristic deep, interconnected double-valleys. These polyp-bearing valleys are each separated by grooved ambulacral ridges. There may be a difference in colour between the valleys and the grooves. ''Diploria labyrinthiformis'' can grow upward at a rate of approximately 3.5 millimeters per year, achieving about in diameter. During its planktonic larval stage, the coral has locomotion. After that time, it becomes permanently sessile. This species is a suspension feeder, and survives mainly on zooplankton and bacteria. These are captured by t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brain Coral
Brain coral is a common name given to various corals in the families Mussidae and Merulinidae, so called due to their generally spheroid shape and grooved surface which resembles a brain. Each head of coral is formed by a colony of genetically identical polyps which secrete a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate; this makes them important coral reef builders like other stony corals in the order Scleractinia. Brain corals are found in shallow warm water coral reefs in all the world's oceans. They are part of the phylum Cnidaria, in a class called Anthozoa or "flower animals". The lifespan of the largest brain corals is 900 years. Colonies can grow as large as 1.8 m (6 ft) or more in height. Brain corals extend their tentacles to catch food at night. During the day, they use their tentacles for protection by wrapping them over the grooves on their surface. The surface is hard and offers good protection against fish or hurricanes. Branching corals, such as staghorn cor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pseudodiploria
''Pseudodiploria'' is a genus of stony corals in the subfamily Faviinae of the family Mussidae. This genus was erected in 2012, having been split off from the genus ''Diploria''. This genus is found in the tropical and subtropical West Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Characteristics ''Pseudodiploria'' is a colonial coral. Budding is always intracalicular, occurring inside the oral disc of the polyp, within the whorl of tentacles. The corallites are meandroid, with a number of centres being linked serially, separated by valleys some wide. There is a continuous, trabecular columella but hardly any coenosteum. The septal teeth are three-pointed and are orientated transversely to the septal plane. Species The World Register of Marine Species lists the following two species : *''Pseudodiploria clivosa'' (Ellis & Solander, 1786) *''Pseudodiploria strigosa ''Pseudodiploria strigosa'', the symmetrical brain coral, is a colonial species of stony coral in the family Mussidae. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diploria Labyrinthiformis
''Diploria'' is a monotypic genus of massive reef building stony corals in the family Mussidae. It is represented by a single species, ''Diploria labyrinthiformis'', commonly known as grooved brain coral and is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It has a familiar, maze-like appearance. Description This species of reef-building coral has a hemispherical, brain-like shape with a brown, yellow, or grey colour. It has characteristic deep, interconnected double-valleys. These polyp-bearing valleys are each separated by grooved ambulacral ridges. There may be a difference in colour between the valleys and the grooves. ''Diploria labyrinthiformis'' can grow upward at a rate of approximately 3.5 millimeters per year, achieving about in diameter. During its planktonic larval stage, the coral has locomotion. After that time, it becomes permanently sessile. This species is a suspension feeder, and survives mainly on zooplankton and bacteria. These are captured by t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mussismilia
''Mussismilia'' is a genus of stony corals in the subfamily Faviinae of the family Mussidae. This genus is restricted to the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Brazil. Description ''Mussismilia'' is a colonial coral. Budding is always intracalicular, occurring inside the oral disc of the polyp, within the whorl of tentacles. The corallites are phaceloid or subplocoid, with one to three centres being linked. When coenosteum is present, there is a distinctive double wall. The columella is discontinuous. The septa are porous and have unique, multi-directional teeth formed of twisted threads. The columella is spongy, and the columellar teeth are different in size and shape from the septal teeth. Species The World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colpophyllia
''Colpophyllia'' is a genus of stony corals in the family Mussidae. It is monotypic with a single species, ''Colpophyllia natans'', commonly known as boulder brain coral or large-grooved brain coral. It inhabits the slopes and tops of reefs, to a maximum depth of fifty metres. It is characterised by large, domed colonies, which may be up to two metres across, and by the meandering network of ridges and valleys on its surface. The ridges are usually brown with a single groove, and the valleys may be tan, green, or white and are uniform in width, typically 2 centimetres. The polyps only extend their tentacles at night. Description Individual colonies of ''Colpophyllia natans'' are large and usually broadly domed, with curvature typically increasing with the size, and therefore age, of the colony. They grow up to two metres in diameter and morphologically earn the epithet "boulder". Colony shape may occasionally be flat-topped discs, particularly when younger. As a type of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scolymia
''Scolymia'', commonly called scoly coral, is a genus of large-polyp stony corals (Scleractinia). These animals are believed date back to the Miocene with three extant species present in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.Logan. (1988). Budding and Fusion in the Scleractinian Coral Scolymia Cubensis (Milne Edwards and Haime) from Bermuda. ''Bulletin of Marine Science'', ''42''(1), 145–149.Coni, E.O.C., Ferreira, C.M., Meirelles, P.M. ''et al.'' Modeling abundance, growth, and health of the solitary coral ''Scolymia wellsi'' (Mussidae) in turbid SW Atlantic coral reefs. ''Mar Biol'' 164, 66 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-017-3090-4 Description Unlike most other Scleractinia, ''Scolymia'' are solitary corals. Polyps can grow up to 10 cm in diameter. Morphology is diverse with both interspecific and intraspecific variation in shape.Wells. (1971). Note on the Scleractinian Corals Scolymia Lacera and S. Cubensis in Jamaica. Bulletin of Marine Science, 21(4), 960–963. Polyps may ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Favia
''Favia'' is a genus of reef-building stony corals in the family Mussidae. Members of the genus are massive or thickly encrusting colonial corals, either dome-shaped or flat, and a few are foliaceous. There is a great diversity of form even among individuals of the same species. The corallites project slightly above the surface of the coral and each has its own wall. In most species, the corallites are plocoid and in some, monocentric. The septa and costae linked to the corallite wall are well developed and covered by fine teeth. The polyps only extend and feed during the night. Each one has a small number of tapering tentacles which often have a darker coloured tip; these are called stinger tentacles, or sweeper tentacles. They use these to sweep the water to see if any other coral is in its area; if so, then they begin to sting the other coral. This is commonly known as coral war. Each coral is trying to make sure it has enough room around it so it can continue to grow and have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mussa Angulosa
''Mussa'' is a genus of stony coral in the family Faviidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species ''Mussa angulosa'', commonly known as the spiny or large flower coral. It is found on reefs in shallow waters in the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico. Description ''Mussa angulosa'' is a colonial species and the whole clump forms a low dome that may reach across. The corallites are phaceloid, that is they have a tubular form growing from a common base, in series of one to three, or occasionally up to five. The individual corallites are large, being in diameter and up to high. There are four cycles of septa in each corallite, nearly equal in size; they are narrow and curved, with wide spacing. The individual polyps are very large, sometimes reaching a length of and a diameter of . They completely obscure the short branches of the stony skeleton on which they occur. During the day the polyps appear fleshy, but during the night they expand further ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
