''Meandrina'' is a
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 ...
of
colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 au ...
stony coral
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 mo ...
in the
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 ...
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 ...
. Corals in this genus form massive hemispherical heads or have large flat plates and can grow to a metre (yard) across. Sometimes it is referred to as brain coral.
Species
The World Register of Marine Species lists the following species:
[
* '']Meandrina brasiliensis
''Meandrina'' is a genus of colonial stony coral in the family 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 bet ...
'' (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848)
* '' Meandrina danae'' (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848)
* '' Meandrina jacksoni'' Weil & Pinzón, 2011
* '' Meandrina meandrites'' (Linnaeus, 1758)
* †'' Meandrina polygonalis'' Catullo, 1856
References
Scleractinia genera
Meandrinidae
Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
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