''Scolymia'', commonly called scoly coral, is a genus of large-polyp stony corals (Scleractinia). These animals are believed date back to the Miocene with three extant species present in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.Logan. (1988). Budding and Fusion in the Scleractinian Coral Scolymia Cubensis (Milne Edwards and Haime) from Bermuda. ''Bulletin of Marine Science'', ''42''(1), 145–149.Coni, E.O.C., Ferreira, C.M., Meirelles, P.M. ''et al.'' Modeling abundance, growth, and health of the solitary coral ''Scolymia wellsi'' (Mussidae) in turbid SW Atlantic coral reefs. ''Mar Biol'' 164, 66 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-017-3090-4

Description

Unlike most other Scleractinia, ''Scolymia'' are solitary corals. Polyps can grow up to 10 cm in diameter. Morphology is diverse with both interspecific and intraspecific variation in shape.Wells. (1971). Note on the Scleractinian Corals Scolymia Lacera and S. Cubensis in Jamaica. Bulletin of Marine Science, 21(4), 960–963. Polyps may be concave, convex, or flat depending on the species and environmental conditions. Species are generally distinguished based on differences in septa number, thickness, and orientation. Scoly corals range from brown to bright fluorescent greens, reds, and purples. Members of this genus are commonly found in reef aquariums because of their slow growth, however separation from other corals is necessary due to intense competition. The slow growth rate of these corals is not well understood, but researchers have proposed that

cyanobacterial Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blue ...

mats may inhibit their growth or even cause shrinkage.

Ecology

Energy

''Scolymia'' harness their energy mainly through a symbiotic relationship with

zooxanthellate 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 ''Sy ...

, a group of photosynthetic

dinoflagellates The dinoflagellates (Greek δῖνος ''dinos'' "whirling" and Latin ''flagellum'' "whip, scourge") are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered algae. Dinoflagellates are ...

. To a lesser degree, these corals can also feed heterotrophically using their tentacles to catch

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

drifting through the water at night.

Habitat & Geographic Distribution

All ''Scolymia'' species are located in the Atlantic Ocean along the east coast of the Americas between Florida, through the Caribbean sea and Gulf of Mexico, and as far south as Brazil. At higher latitudes, ''Scolymia'' tends to grow faster compared to at lower latitudes, likely as a result of annual mean temperature differences. Scoly corals are typically found at the base of a reef between 10-80 m deep where there are turbid waters with low-light conditions. ''Scolymia'' anchor in soft substrates where sediment continuously accumulates. They have adapted sediment-shifting abilities by growing upward on nearly-vertical surfaces in addition to a mucus exterior that prevents sedimentation from above. This adaptation has allowed ''Scolymia'' to fill an ecological niche in which other corals are not able to survive.

Predation

Scoly corals have a unique ability to avoid both disease and predation from coralivorous fishes. The reasons for this are still largely unknown, however, it is believed that their bold colors may deter predators.

Conservation Status

According to the ICUN Red List, the conservation status of ''

Scolymia cubensis ''Scolymia cubensis'' is a solitary coral that belongs the genus ''Scolymia''. It is a smooth disk coral whose shape usually consists of a flat, concave form (patellate) or an inverted cone form. However, a cylindrical shape may occur. They have ...

'' and ''

Scolymia lacera ''Scolymia lacera'', the fleshy disk coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Mussidae. It occurs on reefs in shallow waters in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda and southern Florida. Description ''Scolymia lace ...

'' is Least Concern, and ''Scolymia wellsii'' is data deficient. While there are no specific known threats to ''Scolymia'', corals in general are sensitive to rising temperatures brought on by

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

, resulting in

coral bleaching Coral bleaching is the process when corals become white due to various stressors, such as changes in temperature, light, or nutrients. Bleaching occurs when coral polyps expel the zooxanthellae (dinoflagellates that are commonly referred to as alg ...

. It is possible that ''Scolymia'', relatively deep habitat preference helps protect it from temperature-related damage.

Behavior

Interspecific Competition

Some scoly corals are known to exhibit interspecific aggression by attacking both congeneric species and other corals, causing them to expel their zooxanthellates. Generally, '' S. lacera'' defeats and kills '' S. cubensis''.

Reproduction

''Scolymia'' reproduce sexually through

broadcast spawning Spawn is the Egg cell, eggs and Spermatozoa, sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic ani ...

. Because of their lack of immune-recognition, it is possible for gametes from the same individual to fertilize each other, resulting in less genetic diversity. Fertilized planktonic larvae drift through the current before settling on a reef bed.

Intraspecific Fusion

When two or more ''

'' larvae settle near one another, they usually fuse together to form one complex coral with distinct genotypes.

Taxonomy

Species

The World Register of Marine Species includes the following species in the genus: * "Artichoke Coral" ''

'' (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848) * "Atlantic Mushroom Coral" ''

'' (Pallas, 1766) * "Solitary Disk Coral" ''

Scolymia wellsii ''Scolymia'', commonly called scoly coral, is a genus of large-polyp stony corals (Scleractinia). These animals are believed date back to the Miocene with three extant species present in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.Logan. (1988). Budding and Fusi ...

'' (Laborel, 1967) Other species were previously classified under ''Scolymia'' but have since been reclassified to distinct genera: *

Cynarina lacrymalis ''Cynarina lacrymalis'' is a species of stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae. It is variously known as the flat cup coral, solitary cup coral, button coral, doughnut coral, or cat's eye coral. It is found in the western Indo-Pacific Ocean an ...

Basionym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both botan ...

: ''Scolymia lacrymalis'' (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848) * ''

Homophyllia australis ''Homophyllia'' is a genus of stony corals in the family Lobophylliidae Lobophylliidae is a family of large polyp stony corals. The family was created in 2009 after a revision of the "robust" families of Faviidae, Merulinidae, Mussidae and Pe ...

-'' Basionym: ''Scolymia australis'' (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848) * ''

Lobophyllia vitiensis ''Lobophyllia'', commonly called lobed brain coral or lobo coral, is a genus of large polyp stony corals. Members of this genus are sometimes found in reef aquariums. Species This genus includes the following species: * '' Lobophyllia agaricia ...

-'' Basionym: ''Scolymia vitiensis'' (Brüggemann, 1877)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3332116 Mussinae Scleractinia genera