''Cycloseris distorta'' is a species of disc coral in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 a free-living, solitary coral and is native to the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific region where it is found on soft sediment in shallow water.

Taxonomy

This coral was first described by the French naturalist

Jean-Louis Hardouin Michelin de Choisy Jean-Louis Hardouin Michelin de Choisy (25 May 1786 – 9 July 1867, in Versailles) was a French malacologist and palaeontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior ...

in 1842 who named it ''Fungia distorta''. It was later transferred to the genus ''Diaseris'' becoming ''Diaseris distorta''. In 2011, research using

molecular methods Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

resulted in ''Diaseris'' being absorbed into the genus ''

Cycloseris ''Cycloseris'' is a genus of solitary disc corals in the family Fungiidae. They are found in the Indo-Pacific. They inhabit the lower reef slopes, and the areas between reefs with soft sediments. They tolerate turbid waters. Description Corals ...

''.

Description

''Cycloseris distorta'' is a solitary, free-living coral that grows to a diameter of about . The large polyp is irregular in shape and has a central mouth from which radiate wedge-shaped segments. The

corallite A corallite is the skeletal cup, formed by an individual stony coral polyp, in which the polyp sits and into which it can retract. The cup is composed of aragonite, a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, and is secreted by the polyp. Corallit ...

(the stony cup in which the polyp sits) has numerous beaded

septa The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...

(partitions) of varying heights. The polyp can absorb water from its surroundings and inflate itself to several times its original size. When the tentacles are extended to feed, it has a fuzzy appearance. This coral is some shade of cream or pale fawn, and may be mottled.

Distribution and habitat

''Cycloseris distorta'' occurs in the tropical and subtropical Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Its range extends from the east coast of Africa and Madagascar to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, northern and eastern Australia and the Galapagos Islands. It occurs on soft sediments, usually at depths of or less, but occasionally down to about . In the Galapagos Islands, this species is known from a single location. The population there, estimated to be several hundred thousand individuals, is so dense that the corals are sometimes piled on top of each other. On a nearby island, there is a location where there are large numbers of dead skeletons of this species, but no living individuals.

Ecology

Individual corals are either male or female. Fecundity is high and broadcast spawning takes place four to eight times per year.

Asexual reproduction Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes or change in the number of chromosomes. The offspring that arise by asexual reproduction from either unicellular or multicellular organisms inherit the fu ...

by fission is an important means of reproduction for this species. The coral may be fragmented due to physical forces, such as storms, but it is also capable of

autotomy Autotomy (from the Greek language, Greek ''auto-'', "self-" and ''tome'', "severing", wikt:αὐτοτομία, αὐτοτομία) or self-amputation, is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards one or more of its own appendages, usual ...

, causing itself to break apart through selective weakening of certain parts of the skeleton.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q13507540 Fungiidae Cnidarians of the Indian Ocean Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean Marine fauna of Oceania Marine fauna of Southeast Asia Animals described in 1842 Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN