''Ctenactis echinata'' is a free-living

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of solitary disc coral in the

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Fungiidae The Fungiidae () are a family of Cnidaria, commonly known as mushroom corals or plate corals. The family contains thirteen extant genera. They range from solitary corals to colonial species. Some genera such as ''Cycloseris'' and ''Fungia'' ar ...

. It is native to the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region. This is a common species throughout its wide range and the

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has rated its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

Description

''Ctenactis echinata'' is a medium to large oval disc coral, growing to a length of about and a width of . It has an axial furrow extending along most of its length with usually a single mouth opening, but occasionally there may be more than one. The primary

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are thick and heavily toothed with large triangular teeth. In between them are one to five secondary septa, smaller and lightly toothed. A large individual may have more than a thousand septa. The costae, on the underside of the coral, are poorly defined and have long arborescent or cylindrical spines arranged in radial rows. The colour of this coral is usually pale brown.

Distribution and habitat

''Ctenactis echinata'' is native to the Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to China, Japan, Indonesia and northern Australia, as well as various island groups in the western and central Pacific Ocean. It is found on reef flats and slopes and in lagoons to depths of .

References

Fungiidae Cnidarians of the Indian Ocean Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean Fauna of the Red Sea Marine fauna of Asia Marine fauna of Oceania Marine fauna of Southeast Asia Marine fauna of Western Asia Anthozoa of Australia Cnidarians of Hawaii Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas Corals described in 1766 {{scleractinia-stub