''Lithophyllon repanda'' is a

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 mushroom or 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 ...

.This species is able to move to another location on occasion. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

(IUCN) rated it as a

least-concern species 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 ...

and it was originally described by Dana in 1846. It occurs at depths of .

Description

''L. repanda'' has thick and circular polyps with diameters of up to , which are either arched or flat. Its septa are roughly equal and the septal teeth are visible. Its tentacles extend in the day and are pale in colour, but the species is without tentacular loes. It has granular costal spines and the species is brown in colour. It reaches diameters of up to .

Distribution

It is found in the

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...

, the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

, the southwestern and northern Indian Ocean, eastern Africa, northern, eastern, and western Australia, the

East China Sea The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...

, Japan, and the western and central Pacific Ocean. It is common species and no population figures are available, but its population is believed to be declining in line with the global decline in coral reefs. It is threatened by coral disease, climate change, bleaching, predators, human activity, fishing, and parasites. A 1991 study discovered that 75% of observed specimens were bleached due to rising sea temperatures. It is rated as a

by the IUCN and is listed under CITES Appendix II. It is found at depths of between on flats and slopes of reefs.

Taxonomy

It was originally described as ''Fungia repanda'' by Dana in 1846.

Description

Distribution

Taxonomy

References

Further reading