''Cycloseris'' is a genus of solitary disc corals in the family Fungiidae. They are found in 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 ...

. They inhabit the lower reef slopes, and the areas between reefs with soft sediments. They tolerate turbid waters.

Description

Corals in the genus ''Cycloseris'' are mostly solitary and free living, some attaining in diameter. The discs are either round or oval and the central mouth, which is surrounded by tentacles, may be a slit. The polyp sits in a calcareous cup, 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 ...

, and only extends its tentacles to feed at night. The septa are vertical skeletal elements inside the corallite wall and the

costae In vertebrate anatomy, ribs ( la, costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the c ...

unite the septae at the base of the coral. In the genus ''Cycloseris'', both are thick but have fine teeth and are characteristic of the different species. ''Cycloseris'' can be confused with specimens of the related genus ''

Fungia ''Fungia'' is a genus of corals in the family Fungiidae. It is monotypic with the single species ''Fungia fungites'', which is found growing on reefs in the Indo-Pacific. Taxonomy Until 2015, the genus ''Fungia'' had more than 30 species, but ...

'' but the former are free living, even as juveniles, while the latter bear a scar showing where they were attached when young. The genus was reclassified in 2012, to include some species that had previously been classified in the genus ''Coscinaraea'', that are colonial with multiple mouths, in addition to the original species that are free living, with a single central mouth.

Species

The World Register of Marine Species currently lists the following extant species: * '' Cycloseris boschmai'' Hoeksma, 2014 * ''

Cycloseris costulata ''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 ...

'' (Ortman, 1889) * '' Cycloseris curvata'' (Hoeksema, 1989) * ''

Cycloseris cyclolites ''Cycloseris cyclolites'' is a species of disc coral in the family Fungiidae. It was first described by the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1815. It is native to the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific region where it is found on s ...

'' (Lamarck, 1801) * ''

Cycloseris distorta ''Cycloseris distorta'' is a species of disc coral in the family Fungiidae. 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 Thi ...

'' (Michelin, 1843) * '' Cycloseris explanulata'' (Van der Horst, 1922) * '' Cycloseris fragilis'' (Alcock, 1893) * '' Cycloseris mokai'' (Hoeksema, 1989) * '' Cycloseris sinensis'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1851 * '' Cycloseris somervillei'' (Gardiner, 1909) * '' Cycloseris tenuis'' (Dana, 1846) * '' Cycloseris vaughani'' (Boschma, 1923) * '' Cycloseris wellsi'' (Veron & Pichon, 1980) The Encyclopedia of Life lists the following extinct species: * †'' Cycloseris brazzanensis'' Oppenheim 1901 (Eocene) * †''

'' (Ortmann, 1889) * †'' Cycloseris escosurae'' Mallada 1887 * †'' Cycloseris hungaricus'' Kolosvary 1956 * †'' Cycloseris lamellata'' Kühn 1933 * †''

Cycloseris minuta ''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 ...

'' Reuss 1870 * †''

Cycloseris perezi ''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 ...

'' Haime 1850 * †''

Cycloseris striata ''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 ...

'' Duncan 1880

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5199006 Fungiidae Scleractinia genera Cnidarians of the Indian Ocean Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean Marine fauna of Asia Marine fauna of Oceania Marine fauna of Southeast Asia Taxa named by Henri Milne-Edwards Taxa named by Jules Haime