''Sandalolitha robusta'' is a plate or mushroom

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 sec ...

in the family

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 coral is found in the Indo-Pacific region.''Sandalolitha''
Reef coral genera of the Western Indian Ocean. Retrieved 2011-12-14.

Description

''Sandalolitha robusta'' is a large, heavy colonial coral that is free living, not being attached to the substrate. The numerous individual

corallite A corallite is the skeletal cup, formed by an individual stony coral polyp, in which the polyp sits and into which it can retract. The cup is composed of aragonite, a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, and is secreted by the polyp. Corallit ...

s, in which the polyps are embedded, are separate from each other. They are bordered by alternating wide and narrow

septa The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...

, calcareous ridges which bear serrated spines. The spines on the costae, the ridges which join the septa to other corallites, are minutely spiny. The polyps normally extend their tentacles to feed only at night.

References

Fungiidae Animals described in 1886 {{scleractinia-stub