'' Discosoma nummiforme'' ''Discosoma'' is a genus of

cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that ...

ns in the order

Corallimorpharia Corallimorpharia is an order of marine cnidarians closely related to stony or reef building corals (Scleractinia). They occur in both temperate and tropical climates, although they are mostly tropical. Temperate forms tend to be very robust, wit ...

. Common names for the genus include mushroom anemone, disc anemone and elephant ear mushroom.Sprung, J
Aquarium Invertebrates: Mushrooms, Elephants Ears, And False Corals: A Review Of The Corallimorpharia.
''Advanced Aquarist'' Volume 1. October 2002. Most species are disc-shaped and produce large amounts of

mucus Mucus ( ) is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both serous and mucous cells. It ...

. There are a great variety of colors, including metallic and

fluorescent Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore a lower photon energy, ...

shades and striped and spotted patterns. ''Discosoma'' gather food particles from the water. Some species absorb nutrients produced by

zooxanthellae Zooxanthellae is a colloquial term for single-celled dinoflagellates that are able to live in symbiosis with diverse marine invertebrates including demosponges, corals, jellyfish, and nudibranchs. Most known zooxanthellae are in the genus ''S ...

, photosynthetic dinoflagellates living in their tissues in a symbiotic relationship. Some species are sold commercially in the aquarium trade. The

red fluorescent protein Red fluorescent protein (RFP) is a fluorophore that fluoresces red-orange when excited. Several variants have been developed using directed mutagenesis. The original was isolated from Discosoma, and named DsRed. Others are now available that flu ...

dTomato which has applications in molecular biology as a reporter protein was first derived from the species. There are approximately 11 recognized species:Fautin, D. G. (2013)
''Discosoma''.
World List of Corallimorpharia. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) on 18 March 2018. *'' Discosoma album'' *''

Discosoma carlgreni '' Discosoma nummiforme'' ''Discosoma'' is a genus of cnidarians in the order Corallimorpharia. Common names for the genus include mushroom anemone, disc anemone and elephant ear mushroom.Sprung, JAquarium Invertebrates: Mushrooms, Elephants Ears ...

'' – Forked-tentacle corallimorpharian *'' Discosoma dawydoffi'' *'' Discosoma fowleri'' *'' Discosoma fungiforme'' *'' Discosoma molle'' *'' Discosoma neglecta'' – Umbrella corallimorpharian *'' Discosoma nummiforme'' *'' Discosoma rubraoris'' *'' Discosoma unguja'' *''

Discosoma viridescens '' Discosoma nummiforme'' ''Discosoma'' is a genus of cnidarians in the order Corallimorpharia. Common names for the genus include mushroom anemone, disc anemone and elephant ear mushroom.Sprung, JAquarium Invertebrates: Mushrooms, Elephants Ears ...

References

Discosomidae Hexacorallia genera {{Hexacorallia-stub