''Cycloseris'' is a

genus 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 n ...

of solitary disc corals in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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'' are ...

. They are found in the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

. They inhabit the lower reef slopes, and the areas between reefs with soft sediments. They tolerate

turbid Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality. Fluids can ...

waters.

Description

Corals in the genus ''Cycloseris'' are mostly solitary and free living, some attaining in diameter. The discs are either round or oval and the central mouth, which is surrounded by

tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...

s, may be a slit. The polyp sits in a calcareous cup, the

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 ...

, and only extends its

s to feed at night. The

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

are vertical skeletal elements inside the corallite wall and the

costae In vertebrate anatomy, ribs ( la, costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the c ...

unite the septae at the base of the coral. In the genus ''Cycloseris'', both are thick but have fine teeth and are characteristic of the different

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

. ''Cycloseris'' can be confused with specimens of the related genus ''

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 ...

'' but the former are free living, even as juveniles, while the latter bear a scar showing where they were attached when young. The genus was reclassified in 2012, to include some species that had previously been classified in the genus ''Coscinaraea'', that are colonial with multiple mouths, in addition to the original species that are free living, with a single central mouth.

Species

The World Register of Marine Species currently lists the following extant species: * '' Cycloseris boschmai'' Hoeksma, 2014 * '' Cycloseris costulata'' (Ortman, 1889) * '' Cycloseris curvata'' (Hoeksema, 1989) * '' Cycloseris cyclolites'' (Lamarck, 1801) * '' Cycloseris distorta'' (Michelin, 1843) * '' Cycloseris explanulata'' (Van der Horst, 1922) * '' Cycloseris fragilis'' (Alcock, 1893) * '' Cycloseris mokai'' (Hoeksema, 1989) * '' Cycloseris sinensis'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1851 * '' Cycloseris somervillei'' (Gardiner, 1909) * '' Cycloseris tenuis'' (Dana, 1846) * '' Cycloseris vaughani'' (Boschma, 1923) * '' Cycloseris wellsi'' (Veron & Pichon, 1980) The Encyclopedia of Life lists the following extinct species: * †'' Cycloseris brazzanensis'' Oppenheim 1901 (Eocene) * †'' Cycloseris costulata'' (Ortmann, 1889) * †'' Cycloseris escosurae'' Mallada 1887 * †'' Cycloseris hungaricus'' Kolosvary 1956 * †'' Cycloseris lamellata'' Kühn 1933 * †'' Cycloseris minuta'' Reuss 1870 * †'' Cycloseris perezi'' Haime 1850 * †'' Cycloseris striata'' Duncan 1880

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5199006 Fungiidae Scleractinia genera Cnidarians of the Indian Ocean Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean Marine fauna of Asia Marine fauna of Oceania Marine fauna of Southeast Asia Taxa named by Henri Milne-Edwards Taxa named by Jules Haime