Tubastraea faulkneri

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Tubastraea faulkneri
Dendrophylliidae - Tubastraea faulkneri (Orange Sun Coral).jpg
Tubastrea faulkneri from Maldives
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Order: Scleractinia
Family: Dendrophylliidae
Genus: Tubastraea
Species:
T. faulkneri
Binomial name
Tubastraea faulkneri
Wells, 1982

Tubastraea faulkneri, common name Orange sun coral, is a species of large-polyp stony corals belonging to the family Dendrophylliidae. [1] Other common names of this coral are Orange Cup Coral, Sun Coral, Orange Polyp Coral, Rose Sun Coral, Golden Cup Coral, Sun Flower Coral, and Tube Coral. [2]

Contents

Etymology

The species has been named faulkneri by the American paleontologist John West Wells in 1982 in honor of Douglas Faulkner, who collected and illustrated in color the specimen used for the description.

Distribution

This species is mainly present in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, in Australian water and from the Philippines to the Galapagos Islands. [3] [4]

Habitat

These large-polyp stony corals usually occurs in areas with a strong water flow and a high nutrient content, not necessarily related to the reef, at depths of 3 to 5 m. [5]

Description

Tubastrea faulkneri with tentacles withdrawn Tubastraea faulkneri (Cup coral).jpg
Tubastrea faulkneri with tentacles withdrawn

Tubastraea faulkneri is an encrusting coral that can become massive and strongly convex. The corallites of this species are covered with a porous tissue (coenosteum) with a vermicular appearance.

The calices have a diameter of 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) and a depth of 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in). They are spaced of 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) and rise of 3–8 mm (0.12–0.31 in) above the coenosteum. The tentacles of the polyps are bright yellow-orange, while the coenosteum and the center of the polyps are deeper orange. The surface of the coenosteum is swollen between calices.

They have four cycles of septa, with almost vertical internal margins dropping steeply towards the columella. [4] The third cycle of septa barely reaches the edge of the calice and the fourth cycle is weakly developed, often incomplete and irregularly fused in the third cycle. The columella is deep, spongy, and often slightly compressed. [4]

This species is rather similar to Tubastraea coccinea , but the latter species lacks of spacing between the coralites and usually they are united only at the base, while in T. faulkneri there is clearly a space between the polyps. [4] [6]

Biology and behavior

These corals are slow growers and do not contribute to coral reef development (ahermatypic). Unlike many tropical corals, they are azooxanthellate or non-photosynthetic, meaning that they do not live in symbiosis with zooxanthellae in their tissues, allowing them to grow in complete darkness as long as they can capture enough food.

They extend their translucent tentacles during the late erveing and the night, while during the day the tentacles are completely withdrawn and also the coenosteum is visible. They usually feed on plankton.

Like most corals, Tubastraea faulkneri reproduce asexually. They are hermaphrodites. Mature gametes are spawned through the mouth. The zygote develops into a planktonic planula larva. [3] [7]

Related Research Articles

Anthozoa A class of cnidarians without a medusa stage

Anthozoa is a class of marine invertebrates which includes the sea anemones, stony corals and soft corals. Adult anthozoans are almost all attached to the seabed, while their larvae can disperse as part of the plankton. The basic unit of the adult is the polyp; this consists of a cylindrical column topped by a disc with a central mouth surrounded by tentacles. Sea anemones are mostly solitary, but the majority of corals are colonial, being formed by the budding of new polyps from an original, founding individual. Colonies are strengthened by calcium carbonate and other materials and take various massive, plate-like, bushy or leafy forms.

Scleractinia Order of Hexacorallia which produce a massive stiny skeleton

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 mouth is fringed with tentacles. Although some species are solitary, most are colonial. The founding polyp settles and starts to secrete calcium carbonate to protect its soft body. Solitary corals can be as much as 25 cm (10 in) across but in colonial species the polyps are usually only a few millimetres in diameter. These polyps reproduce asexually by budding, but remain attached to each other, forming a multi-polyp colony of clones with a common skeleton, which may be up to several metres in diameter or height according to species.

Mussidae Family of corals

Mussidae is a family of stony coral in the order Scleractinia. Following a taxonomic revision in 2012, the family is now restricted to species found in the Atlantic Ocean, with Pacific species transferred to the new family Lobophylliidae. Many species are referred to as brain coral because their generally spheroid form and grooved surface resembles the convolutions of a brain.

<i>Tubastraea</i> Genus of corals

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.

<i>Fungia</i> Genus of corals

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.

Poritidae Family of corals

Poritidae is a family of stony corals. Members of the family are colonial hermatypic (reef-building) corals. They are variable in size and form but most are massive, laminar or ramose as well as branching and encrusting. The corallites are compact with very little coenosteum covering the skeleton. The walls of the corallites and the septa are porous. J.E.N. Veron considers the family is not a natural grouping but is a miscellaneous collection of genera that do not fit well elsewhere.

<i>Micromussa lordhowensis</i> Species of coral

Micromussa lordhowensis, previously known as the 'Acan Lord', is a species of stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae. It is a widespread and common coral with large polyps occurring on shallow reefs in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It was originally classified under the genus Acanthastrea, and reclassified under the genus Micromussa in 2016.

<i>Pavona cactus</i> Species of coral

Pavona cactus, the cactus coral, potato chip coral or leaf coral, is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Agariciidae. This coral is found in shallow waters on reefs and in lagoons in tropical parts of the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Cynarina lacrymalis</i> Species of coral

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 and is sometimes kept in reef aquaria.

<i>Alveopora</i> Genus of corals

Alveopora is a genus of colonial stony corals in the family Acroporidae. Members of this genus are native to the Indo-Pacific region and are often found on reef slopes in turbid water. They are generally uncommon.

Stylaraea is a genus of marine stony corals in the family Poritidae. It is a monotypic genus and the only species is Stylaraea punctata. This coral is native to shallow tidal pools in tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

<i>Dipsastraea speciosa</i> Species of coral

Dipsastraea speciosa is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It is found in tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans.

<i>Turbinaria peltata</i> Species of cnidarian

Turbinaria peltata, commonly known as disc coral, is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being "vulnerable".

<i>Madracis auretenra</i> Species of coral

Madracis auretenra, commonly known as the yellow finger coral or yellow pencil coral, is a colonial species of stony coral in the family Pocilloporidae. It is a fairly common species and is found in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean. At one time this species was not recognised, but it was split from Madracis mirabilis on the grounds of morphology and depth range.

<i>Favites complanata</i> Species of coral

Favites complanata is a species of stony coral in the family Merulinidae, sometimes known as the larger star coral. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region and its range extends from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to the western and central Pacific Ocean. This is an uncommon species of coral and seems to be decreasing in abundance, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being "near threatened".

<i>Platygyra daedalea</i> Species of coral

Platygyra daedalea, sometimes known as the lesser valley coral, is a colonial species of stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It occurs on reefs in shallow water in the Indo-Pacific region. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<i>Blastomussa merleti</i> Species of coral

Blastomussa merleti, commonly known as pineapple coral, is a species of large polyp stony coral. It is unclear in which family the genus Blastomussa belongs. This coral is native to the west and central Indo-Pacific region and is sometimes used in reef aquaria.

<i>Schizocyathus</i> Genus of corals

Schizocyathus is a monotypic genus of stony corals in the family Schizocyathidae, the only species being Schizocyathus fissilis. It is a deep water, azooxanthellate coral.

<i>Heterocyathus aequicostatus</i> Species of coral

Heterocyathus aequicostatus is a small species of coral in the family Caryophylliidae in the order Scleractinia, the stony corals. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region. It is a large polyp, solitary, free-living coral and is usually found on soft substrates.

<i>Goniopora columna</i> Species of coral

Goniopora columna is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Poritidae.

References