Scleractinia Images

Scleractinia, Dendrophylliina

Tubastraea micrantha: A living colony having branches about 2 cm in diameter, collected from shallow water off Pelau. Although azooxanthellate, this species often attains a colony size of up to a meter and thus contributes to reef structure. (Photograph courtesy of D. Faulkner).

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Scleractinia, Caryophylliidae

Euphyllia ancora A living colony covered with expanded tentacles, collected from shallow water off Pelau. This species belongs to the sixth species group, which consists exclusively of shallow water, zooxanthellate, reef corals. (Photograph courtesy of D. Faulkner)

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Dendrophylliina

Turbinaria sp.: A living colony about 1 m in diameter, collected from shallow water off Pelau. This is an attached, colonial dendrophylliid that contains zooxanthellae and contributes to reef structure.(Photo courtesy of D. Faulkner)

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Caryophylliidae

Solenosmilia variabilis A colony with tissue still intact, collected from Lydonia Canyon, off New York (depth about 1000 m). Corallites about 6 mm in diameter. This species is cosmopolitan in distribution and often contributes to the framework of deep-water coral banks (courtesy B. Hecker).

Removed.

Oculininae

Sclerhelia hirtella A skeleton collected from the type locality of St. Helena, Atlantic Ocean (depth unknown). (Photograph courtesy of H. Zibrowius).

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Scleractinia, Micrabaciidae

Letepsammia formosissima: A highly inflated living specimen from off South Africa (about 100 m). Diameter of polyp about 50 mm (from Wiliams, 1986).

Williams, G. C. 1986. What are Corals? Sagittarius, 1(2): 11-15.

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Rhizangiidae

Astrangia poculata : SEM of calice of an individual corallite from a colonial skeleton collected from St. Lucie Inlet, Florida (depth 38 m). Diameter of corallite 2.8 mm (from Peters, et al., 1988).

Peters, E. C. et al. 1988. Nomenclature and biology of Astrangia poculata (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 101(2): 234-250.

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Rhizangiidae

Culicia hoffmeisteri : Calice of an individual corallite from a colonial skeleton collected from Victoria, Australia (depth 7 m). Diameter of corallite 5.5 mm (from Cairns and Parker, 1992).

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Turbinoliidae

Dunocyathus parasiticus: The anthocyathus (distal portion) of a skeleton collected off Cape Jaffa, South Australia (depth 165 m). Note that in this species the costae alternate in position with the septa. Calicular diameter 4.4 mm (from Cairns & Parker, 1992).

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Turbinoliidae

Holcotrochus scriptus: Side view (SEM) of a corallum collected from Kangaroo Island, South Australia (depth 108 m). This is one of the smallest of the scleractinian corals (height 2.3 mm) and has a unique shape and costal morphology (from Cairns & Parker, 1992).

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Flabelloidea

Stenocyathus vermiformis: Calicular view of a specimen collected from the Bass Strait, Australia (depth 1500 m), showing six pali and a fascicular columella. Calicular diameter 4.8 mm (from Cairns and Parker, 1992). This species is an example of the family Guyniidae.

Removed.

Dendrophylliina

Notophyllia recta: Calicular view (SEM) of a skeleton collected off Victoria, Australia (depth 110 m), exemplifying a solitary, unattached dendrophylliid. Greater calicular diameter 5 mm (from Cairns and Parker, 1992).

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Fungiacyathidae

Fungiacyathus marenzelleri: Calicular view of the skeleton of a specimen collected off northwestern New Zealand (depth 2431 m). Diameter of corallum 35 mm (from Cairns, 1995).

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Caryophylliidae

Goniocorella dumosa: Skeleton of a colony collected from off Auckland Island, New Zealand (depth 421 m). Height of corallum 120 mm (from Cairns, 1995). This species represents those caryophylliids having an attached, colonial corallum, as well as belonging to the fifth group of species. Goniocorella dumosa is the predominant framework coral of deep-water coral banks in the temperate southwest Pacific Ocean.

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Oculina virgosa: Skeleton of a colony collected from off North Cape, New Zealand (depth 40 m). Height of corallum 150 mm (from Cairns, 1995).

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Anthemiphyllidae

Anthemiphyllia patera: Calicular and basal views of skeletons collected from St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles (depth 744 m), the latter view showing the porcellaneous base. Corallum 13 mm in diameter (from Cairns, 1979).

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Turbinoliidae

Trematotrochus corbicula: SEM of part of wall showing thecal perforations. Specimen collected from Straits of Florida (depth 576 m). Coralla only 2-3 mm in height, the perforations about 40 mm in diameter (from Cairns, 1979).

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Guyniidae

Schizocyathus fissilis: Side view of upper corallum showing lines of incipient fracture. Corallum from Barbados (depth 200 m); calicular diameter 3.2 mm (from Cairns, 1979).

Removed.

Guyniidae

Stenocyathus vermiformis: Side and calicular views of a skeleton collected from Walter's Shoal, southwest Indian Ocean (depth 680-720 m), the side view showing the characteristic mural spots typical of the family. Calicular diameter 5 mm (from Cairns and Keller, 1993).

Cairns, S. D. and N. B. Keller. 1993. New taxa and distributional records of azooxanthellate Scleractinia from the tropical south-west Indian Ocean. Annals of the South African Museum, 103(5): 213-292.

Removed.

Caryophylliidae

Distribution of known deep-water azooxanthellate coral banks (from Cairns & Stanley, 1982)

Cairns, S. D. and G. D. Stanley. 1982. Ahermatypic coral banks: living and fossil counterparts. Proceedings of the Fourth International Coral Reef Symposium, Manila (1981), 1: 611-618.

Redrawn.

Fungiacyathidae

F. stephanus: Side view of a skeleton that was collected from Indonesia (depth 798 m). Diameter of corallum 37 mm (from Cairns, 1989).

Fungiacyathidae

F. marenzelleri: Side view of an isolated septum, showing trabecular ridges and synapticulae on the septal face. Specimen collected from off California (depth 4100 m). Length of septum 10 mm (from Cairns, 1994).

Rhizangiidae

Oulangia bradleyi Calice of an individual corallite from a colonial skeleton collected at the Galapagos (depth 14 m). Diameter of corallite 12.2 mm (from Cairns, 1991).

Rhizangiidae

Astrangia haimei : Skeleton of a symmetrically growing colony collected from shallow water off Monterey, California. Colony 50 mm in diameter (from Cairns, 1994).

Oculininae

O. profunda: SEM of paratype branch fragment collected off California (depth 578 m). Branch about 3.5 mm thick (from Cairns, 1994).

Oculininae

Madrepora oculata: A flabellate colony collected from the Galapagos (depth 717 m). This is one of about a dozen coral species to have a cosmopolitan distribution. Height of colony 100 mm (from Cairns, 1991).

Anthemiphyllidae

Anthemiphyllia frustum: Oblique calicular view and SEM detail of septal spines of a skeleton collected from Kyushu, Japan (depth 237 m). Diameter of corallum 8.2 mm (from Cairns, 1994).

Turbinoliidae

Alatotrochus rubescens: Side view of skeleton collected from Kyushu Island, Japan (depth 193 m), characterized by having prominent edge crests and twice as many costae as septa. Height of corallum 14 mm (from Cairns, 1994).

Scleractinia, Turbinoliidae

Turbinolia stephensoni: Oblique SEM view of skeleton collected from the Arafura Sea (depth 24 m). This species has the smallest adult corallum of any scleractinian, this specimen being only 2 mm in height (from Cairns, 1997).

Flabellidae

Truncatoflabellum candeanum: The neotype specimen, including both anthocaulus (basal) and anthocyathus (distal) stages, collected from the Philippines (depth 194 m). Greater calicular diameter 18 mm (from Cairns, 1989a).

Dendrophylliina

Dendrophyllia oldroydae: Holotypic colony, collected from off California (depth 366 m). This species is an example of a colonial, azooxanthellate dendrophylliid. Colony 83 mm in height (from Cairns, 1994).

Caryophylliidae

Cut away diagram of a specimen of Caryophyllia illustrating the basic morphological features of an attached, solitary scleractinian (from Cairns, 1994).

Caryophylliina

Flabellum deludens: Side view of a skeleton collected from the Philippines (depth 289 m). This species represents the superfamily Flabelloidea. Width of corallum 45 mm.

Scleractinia, Caryophylliina

Deltocyathus rotulus Calicular view of a skeleton collected from off Sabah, Borneo (depth 871 m). This species represents the superfamily Caryophyllioidea. Diameter of calice 30 mm.

Caryophyllioidea

Cyathotrochus pileus: Side view of a skeleton collected from the Philippines (depth 494 m). Note the deep intercostal grooves. Width of corallum 23 mm. This species represents the family Turbinoliidae.

Caryophyllioidea

Deltocyathus calcar : Calicular view of skeleton collected off St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles (depth 231 m). Diameter of corallum 11 mm. This species represents the family Caryophylliidae.

Caryophylliidae

Caryophyllia ambrosia: Calicular view of a skeleton collected from St. Christopher, Lesser Antilles (depth 622 m). Greater diameter of corallum 34 mm. This species represents caryophylliids having an unattached, solitary, cornute growth form, as well belonging to the second group of species.

Caryophylliidae

Rhizosmilia maculata: Oblique calicular view of a skeleton collected from St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles (depth 241 m). Calicular diameter 18 mm.

Flabelloidea

Truncatoflabellum truncum: Calicular and basal views of a skeleton collected from off Chile (depth 1500 m), the basal view showing the detachment scar from asexual transverse division. Greater calicular diameter 30 mm. This species is an example of the family Flabellidae.

Micrabaciidae

Leptopenus antarctica: Calicular view of the extremely delicate skeleton of the holotypic specimen, collected from Ross Sea, Antarctica (depth 2032 m). Diameter of corallum 18 mm.

Oculininae

M. carolina: A flabellate colony showing sympodial branching pattern, collected from Rosalind Bank, Nicaragua, Caribbean (depth 162 m). Height of colony 460 mm.

Fungiacyathidae

F. stephanus: Same specimen as above; oblique view.

Flabellidae

Flabellum apertum: Calicular view of a skeleton collected from the Macquarie Ridge (depth 1647 m), an example of a free-living flabellid. Greater calicular diameter 27 mm.

Flabellidae

Rhizotrochus typus: Side view of a skeleton collected from the Philippines (depth 124 m), this genus characterized by tubular hollow basal rootlets that help attach the coral to the substrate. Height of corallum 43 mm.

Flabellidae

Javania lamprotichum: Calicular and side views of a corallum collected from the Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas (depth 1234 m), an example of a firmly attached flabellid.

Guyniidae

Guynia annulata: Calicular view (SEM) of fossil specimen collected from Late Pliocene of Panama, showing octameral septal arrangement and some mural pores. This species is known from the Pliocene to Recent and is one of the smallest known scleractinian corals, this specimen having a calicular diameter of 0.9 mm.

Dendrophylliina

Balanophyllia malouinensis: Calicular view of a skeleton collected from Tierra del Fuego (depth 512 m), illustrating the Pourtalès plan of septal arrangement. This species is an example of a solitary, attached dendrophylliid. Greater calicular diameter 12 mm.

Dendrophylliina

Composite cross-sectional diagram of a calice illustrating various septal insertion patterns: upper right system with three cycles of septa, upper left system with four cycles, and lower two systems with various stages of development of the Poutralès plan. Numbers refer to cycle to which septa belong (from Cairns, 1994)