Kingdom Animalia Class Anthozoa Family Euphylliidae Rank Genus | Phylum Cnidaria Order Scleractinia Species S. vesicularis | |
Similar Ctenella, Sandalolitha robusta, Coscinaraea, Podabacia | ||
Simplastrea vesicularis is a large polyp stony corals from the Indian Ocean. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Simplastrea.
Contents
Description
Colonies of Simplastrea vesicularis are flat and encrusting with circular corallites that are spaced evenly by beaded coenosteum. It has thin walls, well-developed septae that are thin and straight with inner margins forming a columella tangle. The entire surface of Simplastrea vesicularis is covered in small tentacles displaying slight extension.
Distribution & habitat
It can be found throughout the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific in the shallow waters of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia where it encrusts rock surfaces of coral reefs.
References
Simplastrea Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA