The Fungiidae () are a family of Cnidaria, commonly known as mushroom corals or plate corals. The family contains thirteen

extant Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...

genera 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 nomenclat ...

. They range from solitary corals to

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 a ...

species. Some genera such as '' Cycloseris'' and ''

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 ...

'' are solitary organisms, ''

Polyphyllia ''Polyphyllia'' is a genus of cnidarians belonging to the family Fungiidae. The species of this genus are found in Indian and Pacific Ocean. Species: *''Polyphyllia novaehiberniae'' *''Polyphyllia talpina ''Polyphyllia'' is a genus of cnid ...

'' consists of a single organism with multiple mouths, and '' Ctenactis'' and ''

Herpolitha ''Herpolitha'' is a monotypic genus of mushroom corals in the family Fungiidae. The only member of the genus is ''Herpolitha limax'', commonly known as the tongue, slipper, mole or striate boomerang coral. It is a free-living species and is nati ...

'' might be considered as solitary organisms with multiple mouths or a colony of individuals, each with its separate mouth.

Characteristics

Species are generally solitary marine animals capable of

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

locomotion. These corals often appear to be bleached or dead. In most genera, a single polyp emerges from the center of the

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

to feed at night. Most species remain fully detached from the

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (locomotion), the surface over which an organism lo ...

in adulthood. Some are immobile as well as colonial.

Ecology

Some species of mushroom coral such as '' Fungia repanda'' and '' Ctenactis echinata'' are able to change sex. This is posited to take place in response to environmental or energetic constraints, and to improve the organism's evolutionary fitness; similar phenomena are observed in some dioecious plants.

Genera

The World Register of Marine Species includes these

in the family: *'' Cantharellus'' Hoeksema & Best, 1984 *'' Ctenactis'' Verrill, 1864 *'' Cycloseris'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 *'' Danafungia'' Wells, 1966 *''

'' Lamarck, 1801 *'' Halomitra'' Dana, 1846 *'' Heliofungia'' Wells, 1966 *''

'' Eschscholtz, 1825 *''

Lithophyllon ''Lithophyllon'' is a genus of stony corals in the family Fungiidae. Species The World Register of Marine Species currently lists the following species: *''Lithophyllon concinna'' (Verrill, 1864) *''Lithophyllon ranjithi'' Ditlev, 2003 *''Litho ...

'' Rehberg, 1892 *'' Lobactis'' Verrill, 1864 *'' Pleuractis'' Verrill, 1864 *'' Podabacia'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 *''

'' Blainville, 1830 *'' Sandalolitha'' Quelch, 1884 *'' Sinuorota'' Oku, Naruse & Fukami, 2017 *'' Zoopilus'' Dana, 1846

Notable species

*One fungiid species, ''Heliofungia actiniformis'' ("anemone coral"), can be easily mistaken for a

sea anemone Sea anemones are a group of predation, predatory marine invertebrates of the order (biology), order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemones are classifi ...

ctiniarianbecause its tentacles remain visible during the day. *''Fungia'' spp. have a commensal pipefish, '' Siokunichthys nigrolineatus''. *''Heliofungia actiniformis'' provides shelter to some fish species ( Gobiidae and Labridae). *Some fungiids can be elongated and look like a

sea cucumber Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea (). They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of holothuria ...

( stichopodid). *Some fungiids ('' Danafungia scruposa'') have been observed eating jellyfish.

Importance to humans

Members of the family Fungiidae are not of any commercial importance, but are collected for the aquarium trade and are sold as "plate corals".

References

Gallery

File:Coral (Heliofungia actiniformis) (20 cm).png, ''Heliofungia'' sp. looks similar to a

. File:Muchroom_coral.JPG, ''Fungia'' sp. in Papua New Guinea File:Herpolitha limax.jpg, ''Herpolitha limax'' in Micronesia can appear bleached and also resemble a sea cucumber. File:Unknown Coral Front and back Macro.jpg, ''Fungia'' sp.

External links

* *
AIMS CoralSearch - ''Heliofungia actiniformis''Fungia scruposa eating a jelly fish (news.bbc.co.uk)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1798404 Scleractinia Cnidarian families Taxa named by James Dwight Dana