Euphylliidae (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

eu-, true;

phyllon, leaf) are known as a family of polyped stony

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...

s under the order

Scleractinia Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral disc in which a ...

. This

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

consists of multiple genera (more than one

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

) and various

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 ...

which are found among the

ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

floor. These

may be sparse or conspicuous in the wild. However, they are commonly kept in home-aquariums to be enjoyed for their beauty and protection by many

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

and their owners.

Classification

Marine

organism In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells (cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and ...

s are studied and classified just as any other member of the animal

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

. However, marine

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

are observed and therefore classified differently than reptiles or mammals would be. When any marine animal is classified, there are a group of main characteristics that are observed and used to differentiate between phylum,

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

, (potentially subclass), order,

, and of course

. The key characteristics that scientists look for are categorized by body type, ( symmetry, presence of segments, limbs, head or tail) reproduction,

digestion Digestion is the breakdown of large insoluble food molecules into small water-soluble food molecules so that they can be absorbed into the watery blood plasma. In certain organisms, these smaller substances are absorbed through the small intest ...

, As of the year 2000, the order

was divided into 18 artificial Families, known as the

Acroporidae Acroporidae is a family of small polyped stony corals in the phylum Cnidaria. The name is derived from the Greek ''"akron"'' meaning "summit" and refers to the presence of a corallite at the tip of each branch of coral. They are commonly known ...

, Astrocoeniidae,

Pocilloporidae The Pocilloporidae are a family of stony corals in the order Scleractinia occurring in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Description Pocilloporids are colonial and most species are reef-building. They are very variable in size and shape, some being ...

, Euphyllidae,

Oculinidae Oculinidae is a family of colonial corals. Characteristics Members of the family Oculinidae are characterised by having the walls of the corallites (the cups which house the polyps) being composed of solid walled though rather fragile tubes con ...

Meandrinidae The Meandrinidae are a family of stony corals. The name comes from the Greek, ''maiandros'' meaning "meandering", referring to the miniature, winding valleys found between the corallites. Fossil corals in this family have been found dating back t ...

, Siderastreidae,

Agariciidae The Agariciidae are a family of reef-building stony corals. This family includes cactus corals, plate corals, and lettuce corals. Members of the family include symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae in their tissues which help provide their energ ...

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 ...

, Rhizangiidae,

Pectiniidae Pectiniidae was a family of stony corals, commonly known as chalice corals, but the name is no longer considered valid. Taxonomy The "robust" stony coral families of Faviidae, Merulinidae, Mussidae and Pectiniidae, have traditionally been recog ...

Merulinidae Merulinidae is a family of reef-building stony corals. Characteristics All the genera in this family are colonial, reef-building corals. Skeletal structures are similar to those of Faviidae but are highly fused, without paliform lobes. The valle ...

Dendrophylliidae Dendrophylliidae is a family of stony corals. Most (but not all) members are azooxanthellate and thus have to capture food with their tentacles instead of relying on photosynthesis to produce their food. The World Register of Marine Species incl ...

Caryophylliidae The Caryophylliidae are a family of stony corals found from the tropics to temperate seas, and from shallow to very deep water. Genera *'' Africana'' Ocana & Brito, 2015 *'' Anomocora'' Studer, 1878 *'' Asterosmilia'' Duncan, 1867 *'' Auloc ...

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 ...

, Faviidae, Trachyphylliidae, and

Poritidae Poritidae is a family of stony corals. Members of the family are colonial hermatypic (reef-building) corals. They are variable in size and form but most are massive, laminar or ramose as well as branching and encrusting. The corallites are compa ...

(sensu Veron 2000). During this time, only 11 families were known to contain corals that can be classified as truly reef-building. All scleractinian families considered here are zooxanthellates (contain photo-endo- symbiontic

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 ...

). However, in 2022 there are more than 30 families determined under the Scleractinia (according to the World Register of Marine Species) order and 845 species of coral which are known to be reef-building. - Among the countless organisms in the Animalia kingdom, the families of coral will always remain as a unique group. Although they're stationary and stony structures, they belong in the same

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 ...

n phylum as a

box jellyfish Box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their box-like (i.e. cube-shaped) body. Some species of box jellyfish produce potent venom delivered by contact with their tentacles. Stings from some species, including '' ...

Appearance

Euphyllidae typically remain consistent in appearance with most stony corals. They are long, tubular or cylindrical with many "branches" which extend up toward the surface of the ocean. The exoskeleton of this organism is made of many polyps which consist of limestone or calcium carbonate. "Corallum with phaceloid growth; are green, gray, bluish, or pale-brown in color.

Tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work ma ...

s with, greenish to cream tips, that are round, kidney to bean-shaped (according to the species). Polyps usually at least partly extended. Corallites are very tall (up to 150mm) and either single or in rows; rise separately (even at their bases) from encrusting leaves and are usually 1-40mm in diameter. Calices are rounded. Septa are numerous and in cycles, larger ones exsert by as much as 10mm as they pass over the corallite wall. Septal margins are smooth, finely granulated or minutely dentate. There is no columella." Symmetry: these corals have a body plan characterized by radial symmetry, which allows all parts of their bodies to be equally receptive and responsive to predator and prey. --

Structure

Findings of body structure and size were captioned by
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 ...
stating the following observations

* Supporting structure & enclosure:

Endoskeleton An endoskeleton (From Greek ἔνδον, éndon = "within", "inner" + σκελετός, skeletos = "skeleton") is an internal support structure of an animal, composed of mineralized tissue. Overview An endoskeleton is a skeleton that is on the ...

Structure: Solid Composition:

Calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...

Aragonite Aragonite is a carbonate mineral, one of the three most common naturally occurring crystal forms of calcium carbonate, (the other forms being the minerals calcite and vaterite). It is formed by biological and physical processes, including pre ...

1.) Functional group: macrobenthos (Stage: adult) nherited through Scleractinia. 2.) Body size: (qualitative) 2.0 – 200 mm (Stage: adult) nherited through Scleractinia. 3.) Functional group: zooplankton (Stage: planula) nherited from Scleractinia. 4.) Functional group mesoplankton (Stage: planula) nherited from Scleractinia. 5.) Body size (qualitative) 0.2 - 2.0 mm (Stage: planula)
Colonies
are phaceloid, meandroid or flabello-meandroid, with large, solid and widely spaced septo-costae which have little or no ornamentation. Corallite (cuplike calcareous skeleton of polyp) walls have a similar structure. The most conspicuous of this family are the genera Plerogyra and Euphyllia. They can be very abundant in turbid

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...

al habitats. Euphyllidae are commonly referred to as the "bubble" or "grape" corals, since the large fleshy

tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work ma ...

s and

vesicles Vesicle may refer to: ; In cellular biology or chemistry * Vesicle (biology and chemistry), a supramolecular assembly of lipid molecules, like a cell membrane * Synaptic vesicle ; In human embryology * Vesicle (embryology), bulge-like features o ...

are expanded during the day give the corals a bubble-like appearance. While most hard corals are best identified by looking at details of their skeleton, members of the Family Euphyllidae are more easily told apart by looking at the structure of their tentacles. Some species have tentacles with a distinctive U-shaped tip, others lack this. Most coral structures are actually made up of hundreds to thousands of tiny coral creatures called

polyps A polyp in zoology is one of two forms found in the phylum Cnidaria, the other being the medusa. Polyps are roughly cylindrical in shape and elongated at the axis of the vase-shaped body. In solitary polyps, the aboral (opposite to oral) end i ...

. Each soft-bodied polyp—most no thicker than a nickel—secretes a hard outer skeleton of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

( calcium carbonate) that attaches either to rock or the dead skeletons of other polyps. In the case of stony or hard corals, these polyp conglomerates grow, die, and endlessly repeat the cycle over time, slowly laying the limestone foundation for

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...

s and giving shape to the familiar corals that reside there. Because of this cycle of growth, death, and regeneration among individual polyps, many coral colonies can live for a very long time.

Environment and activity

Euphylliid corals are benthic and

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

organisms, remaining on the sea floor through all stages of life. Although these organisms are commonly found in shallow waters and are often assumed to be plants, they are indeed marine animals. They do not have photosynthetic capabilities, which is why it is clear that

are very successful in feeding. These animals have a single opening that serves as both the mouth and the anus. Tentacles with stinging structures, called nematocysts, usually surround this opening. These stinging cells, triggered by touch or chemical stimulus, can contain toxins or can be sticky. These coral do not significantly

propel Propel or propelling may refer to: * Propulsion, to push forward or drive an object forward * Samsung A767 Propel, a mobile phone ** Samsung i627 Propel Pro * Propel Fitness Water, a drink from the makers of Gatorade * Propel (PHP), an object-rela ...

themselves and therefore will not move actively with the exception of outward growth. As Euphyllia are part of the coral

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

, they naturally feed through the small stingers of polyps which catch floating

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

among other small organisms. Therefore they are photosymbiotic and known as suspension feeders. "Polyp activity in passive suspension feeders has been considered to be affected by several environmental factors such as hydrodynamics, water temperature and food concentration." The current conservation status of the family overall is unthreatened, but specific species are of higher concern than most others. Reasons for this concern rely on

environmental issues Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

such as increased

sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air mas ...

ocean acidification Ocean acidification is the reduction in the pH value of the Earth’s ocean. Between 1751 and 2021, the average pH value of the ocean surface has decreased from approximately 8.25 to 8.14. The root cause of ocean acidification is carbon dioxid ...

, and overfishing for the

marine aquarium A marine aquarium is an aquarium that keeps marine plants and animals in a contained environment. Marine aquaria are further subdivided by hobbyists into fish only (FO), fish only with live rock (FOWLR), and reef aquaria. Fish only tanks ofte ...

trade. Most corals contain algae called ''

'', which are plant-like organisms. Residing within the coral's tissues, the microscopic algae are well protected and make use of the coral's metabolic waste products for

photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...

Location

Various Euphyllidae were found among the Indo-Pacific, Australia, Southeast Asia, the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yona ...

and East China Sea, the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

, Fiji, and

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the ...

. Many species prefer

fringing reef A fringing reef is one of the three main types of coral reef. It is distinguished from the other main types, barrier reefs and atolls, in that it has either an entirely shallow backreef zone (lagoon) or none at all. If a fringing reef grows direc ...

crests, mid-slope terraces, and

s at depths of about 2 to 25 meters.

Reproduction

"Corals can reproduce asexually and sexually. In asexual reproduction, new clonal polyps bud off from parent polyps to expand or begin new colonies. This occurs when the parent polyp reaches a certain size and divides. This process continues throughout the animal’s life. About three-quarters of all stony corals produce male and/or female gametes. Most of these species are broadcast spawners, releasing massive numbers of eggs and sperm into the water to distribute their offspring over a broad geographic area. The eggs and sperm join to form free-floating, or planktonic, larvae called planulae. Large numbers of planulae are produced to compensate for the many hazards, such as predators, that they encounter as they are carried by water currents. The time between planulae formation and settlement is a period of exceptionally high mortality among corals." "Planulae swim upward toward the light (exhibiting positive phototaxis), entering the surface waters and being transported by the current. After floating at the surface, the planulae swim back down to the bottom, where, if conditions are favorable, they will settle. Once the planulae settle, they metamorphose into polyps and form colonies that increase in size. In most species, the larvae settle within two days, although some will swim for up to three weeks, and in one known instance, two months."