''Tubastraea'', also known as sun coral or sun polyps, is a genus of

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

phylum In biology, a phylum (; plural: phyla) is a level of classification or taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. Traditionally, in botany the term division has been used instead of phylum, although the International Code of Nomenclature f ...

Cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that th ...

. It is a cup coral in the family

Dendrophylliidae Dendrophylliidae is a family of stony corals. Most (but not all) members are azooxanthellate and thus have to capture food with their tentacles instead of relying on photosynthesis to produce their food. The World Register of Marine Species incl ...

Description

''Sun corals'' belong to a group of corals known as large-polyp stony corals. This means that while they produce a hard skeleton, they do not build reefs. Different species have polyps in a variety of colors, including yellow, orange, and shades of black.

Feeding

Unlike most shallow water corals, ''Sun corals'' are not

photosynthetic Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored in c ...

. ''Tubastraea'' do not host zooxanthellae, the

symbiotic Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...

algae that provides energy to the coral via photosynthesis. Instead, they are heterotrophic, and extend long tentacles at night to catch passing

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

; their large polyp size allows them to take relatively large zooplankton.

Habitat

''Tubastraea coccinea'' was first documented in 1943 on Caribbean reefs in

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...

and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. ''T. coccinea'' is an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

that was documented to have spread as far north as the

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary in the Florida Keys. It includes the Florida Reef, the only barrier coral reef in North America and the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world. It also has ex ...

in 2004. ''Tubastraea'' is often found in deep waters because they do not require sunlight for nourishment. They often colonize on artificial surfaces - such as ship wrecks - for this reason.

Reproduction and growth

Like most

, ''sun coral'' reproduces asexually. They are

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...

s and produce planulae. These

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

live for up to two weeks, but usually colonize within of the parent organism. They reproduce for approximately 1.5 years, growing about 3 cm² per year. In addition, ''Tubastraea'' form runners that can extend per year, until they reach unoccupied areas, then forming polyps at the end of the runner. Reproduction occurs sexually during the summer, spring, and winter seasons. After fertilization, the female corals will carry the eggs as the offspring develop within her gastrovascular cavity and are released as larvae. After being released, the larvae disperse and eventually settle on rocky seafloors "cementing" their skeletal structure to a rock. Once cemented, the coral will grow and reside there for the rest of its life.

Captivity

''Tubastraea'' are considered one of the easier non photosynthetic corals to keep in captivity. Their polyps will take relatively large foods such as fish flakes and frozen mysis shrimp; feeding all the polyps once every other day is sufficient for survival, though faster growth is obtained if they are fed daily. Their polyps typically open only at night, but they can be coaxed to come out during the day with food. The largest challenge of keeping these - and any other non photosynthetic - corals is maintaining water quality with all the food they require.

Species

Species: *'' Tubastraea aurea'' *'' Tubastraea coccinea'' *''

Tubastraea diaphana ''Tubastraea'', also known as sun coral or sun polyps, is a genus of coral in the phylum Cnidaria. It is a cup coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. Description ''Sun corals'' belong to a group of corals known as large-polyp stony corals. This m ...

'' *'' Tubastraea faulkneri'' *'' Tubastraea floreana'' *'' Tubastraea micranthus'' *''

Tubastraea nomlandi ''Tubastraea'', also known as sun coral or sun polyps, is a genus of coral in the phylum Cnidaria. It is a cup coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. Description ''Sun corals'' belong to a group of corals known as large-polyp stony corals. This m ...

'' *'' Tubastraea tagusensis''

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2458844 Dendrophylliidae Scleractinia genera