Corallimorpharia is an order of marine
cnidarians closely related to stony or reef building corals (
Scleractinia). They occur in both temperate and tropical climates, although they are mostly
tropical. Temperate forms tend to be very robust, with wide and long columns, whereas tropical forms tend to have very short columns with a wide oral disc and very short tentacles. The tentacles are usually arranged in rows radiating from the mouth. Many species occur together in large groups, although there are recorded instances of individuals. In many respects, they resemble the
stony corals
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 ...
, except for the absence of a stony skeleton. Morphological and molecular evidence suggests that they are very closely related to stony corals.
Corallimorpharians occur in a wide range of marine habitats, and can be associated with phase shifts in coral reef ecosystems that result in a change from a hard-coral dominated reef to a soft-coral dominated one. They have been observed to overgrow reefs in a carpet formation. Many species are also common
invertebrates kept in marine aquaria.
Taxonomy
According to
World Register of Marine Species, this order contains 46 species within 11 genera:
* Family
Corallimorphidae Hertwig, 1882
** Genus ''
Corallimorphus
''Corallimorphus'' is a genus of colonial anthozoans similar in appearance to sea anemones and in body format to scleractinian stony corals. These animals are cnidarians in the family Corallimorphidae. Members of the genus live off the Pacific co ...
''
Moseley, 1877 -- 6 species
** Genus ''
Corynactis''
Allman, 1846 -- 14 species
** Genus ''
Paracorynactis
''Paracorynactis'' is a genus of corallimorphs from the western Indo-West Pacific. They are specialized predators of echinoderms, and are notable for preying on the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish (''Acanthaster planci'') among others. The g ...
''
Ocaña, den Hartog, Brito & Bos, 2010 -- 1 species
* Family
Discosomidae Verrill, 1869
** Genus ''
Amplexidiscus
''Amplexidiscus fenestrafer'', also known as the elephant ear anemone, is a species of coral belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. The name "elephant ear anemone" is a misnomer because it is actually a species of coral. It is the only species in the ...
''
Dunn & Hamner, 1980 -- 1 species
** Genus ''
Discosoma''
Rüppell & Leuckart, 1828 -- 11 species
** Genus ''
Metarhodactis''
Carlgren, 1943 -- 1 species
** Genus ''
Platyzoanthus''
Saville-Kent, 1893 -- 1 species
** Genus ''
Rhodactis
''Rhodactis'' is genus of Mushroom coral
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 gene ...
''
Milne Edwards & Haime, 1851 -- 7 species
* Family
Ricordeidae
''Ricordea'' is genus of corals. It is the only genus in the monotypic family Ricordeidae.
Species
The following species are recognized in the genus ''Ricordea'':
* '' Ricordea florida'' Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860
* ''Ricordea yuma
''R ...
Watzl, 1922
** Genus ''
Ricordea''
Duchassaing de Fonbressin & Michelotti, 1860 -- 2 species
* Family
Sideractinidae Danielssen, 1890
** Genus ''
Nectactis''
Gravier, 1918 -- 1 species
** Genus ''
Sideractis''
Danielssen, 1890 -- 1 species
Image:Actinodiscus macro.JPG, '' Actinodiscus sp.''
Image:Sanc1637 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg, '' Corynactis californica''
Image:Pseudocorynactis, Waikiki Aquarium.JPG, '' Pseudocorynactis sp.''
Image:Amplexidiscus fenestrafer Maldives.JPG, ''Amplexidiscus fenestrafer
''Amplexidiscus fenestrafer'', also known as the elephant ear anemone, is a species of coral belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. The name "elephant ear anemone" is a misnomer because it is actually a species of coral. It is the only species in the ...
''
Image:Discosoma.jpg, '' Discosoma sp.''
Image:Rhodactis rhodostoma (de nuit).jpg, ''Rhodactis rhodostoma
''Rhodactis'' is genus of Mushroom corals which are characterized by large individual polyps that are often reminiscent of a mushroom. Rhodactis are related to stony corals but do not produce a stony skeleton.
Species
The following species are r ...
''
Image:Ricordea Yuma Mushroom.jpg, '' Ricordea yuma''
References
UFL Zoology - Cnidaria*
External links
Hexacorallia
Cnidarian orders
{{Hexacorallia-stub