Kingdom Animalia Class Anthozoa Order Scleractinia Rank Species | Phylum Cnidaria Subclass Hexacorallia Family Dendrophylliidae | |
 | ||
Similar Balanophyllia, Sun‑burst soft coral, Cape dorid | ||
Balanophyllia bonaespei is a species of solitary cup coral, a stony coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. It is an azooxanthellate species that does not contain symbiotic dinoflagellates in its tissues as most corals do.
Contents
Description
Cup corals are solitary hard corals which superficially resemble orange sea anemones. They grow to 1-2cm in diameter. They have almost transparent beaded tentacles.
Distribution
This species is known from Saldanha Bay to East London off the South African coast, and lives from 5 to 150 metres (16 to 492 ft) under water.
Ecology
This species is often found in caves or under dark overhangs.
References
Balanophyllia bonaespei Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA