The Fungiidae () are a family of

Cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that ...

, commonly known as mushroom corals or plate corals. The family contains thirteen

extant Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...

genera 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 nomenclat ...

. They range from solitary corals to colonial species. Some genera such as ''

Cycloseris ''Cycloseris'' is a genus of solitary disc corals in the family Fungiidae. They are found in the Indo-Pacific. They inhabit the lower reef slopes, and the areas between reefs with soft sediments. They tolerate turbid waters. Description Corals ...

'' and '' Fungia'' are solitary organisms, ''

Polyphyllia ''Polyphyllia'' is a genus of cnidarians belonging to the family 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 co ...

'' consists of a single organism with multiple mouths, and '' Ctenactis'' and ''

Herpolitha ''Herpolitha'' is a monotypic genus of mushroom corals in the family Fungiidae. The only member of the genus is ''Herpolitha limax'', commonly known as the tongue, slipper, mole or striate boomerang coral. It is a free-living species and is nat ...

'' might be considered as solitary organisms with multiple mouths or a colony of individuals, each with its separate mouth.

Characteristics

Species are generally

solitary Solitary is the state of being alone or in solitude. The term may refer to: * shortened form of solitary confinement * Solitary animal, an animal that does not live with others in its species * Solitary but social, a type of social organization ...

marine animals capable of

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning " ...

locomotion. These corals often appear to be bleached or dead. In most genera, a single polyp emerges from the center of the

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

to feed at night. Most species remain fully detached from the substrate in adulthood. Some are immobile as well as colonial.

Ecology

Some species of mushroom coral such as '' Fungia repanda'' and '' Ctenactis echinata'' are able to change sex. This is posited to take place in response to environmental or energetic constraints, and to improve the organism's evolutionary fitness; similar phenomena are observed in some dioecious plants.

Genera

The World Register of Marine Species includes these

in the family: *'' Cantharellus'' Hoeksema & Best, 1984 *'' Ctenactis'' Verrill, 1864 *''

'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 *'' Danafungia'' Wells, 1966 *'' Fungia'' Lamarck, 1801 *'' Halomitra'' Dana, 1846 *'' Heliofungia'' Wells, 1966 *''

'' Eschscholtz, 1825 *''

Lithophyllon ''Lithophyllon'' is a genus of stony corals in the family 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 t ...

'' Rehberg, 1892 *''

Lobactis ''Lobactis'' is a genus of plate or mushroom coral in the family Fungiidae. The genus is monotypic with a single species, ''Lobactis scutaria'', that is found in the Indo-Pacific region. Description ''Lobactis scutaria'' is a solitary, non-col ...

'' Verrill, 1864 *''

Pleuractis ''Pleuractis'' is a genus of mushroom corals in the family Fungiidae. Members of the genus are found growing on reefs in the Indo-Pacific. Taxonomy Although treated as a subgenus of ''Fungia ''Fungia'' is a genus of corals in the family Fung ...

'' Verrill, 1864 *'' Podabacia'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 *''

'' Blainville, 1830 *'' Sandalolitha'' Quelch, 1884 *'' Sinuorota'' Oku, Naruse & Fukami, 2017 *'' Zoopilus'' Dana, 1846

Notable species

*One fungiid

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of 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 the appropriat ...

, ''Heliofungia actiniformis'' ("anemone coral"), can be easily mistaken for a

sea anemone Sea anemones are a group of predatory marine invertebrates of the order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the '' Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, ...

ctiniarianbecause its

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 remain visible during the day. *''Fungia'' spp. have a commensal pipefish, '' Siokunichthys nigrolineatus''. *''Heliofungia actiniformis'' provides shelter to some fish species (

Gobiidae Gobiidae or gobies is a family of bony fish in the order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typically less than in length, and the ...

and Labridae). *Some fungiids can be elongated and look like a

sea cucumber Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea (). They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of holothuri ...

( stichopodid). *Some fungiids ('' Danafungia scruposa'') have been observed eating jellyfish.

Importance to humans

Members of the family Fungiidae are not of any commercial importance, but are collected for the aquarium trade and are sold as "plate corals".

References

Gallery

File:Coral (Heliofungia actiniformis) (20 cm).png, ''Heliofungia'' sp. looks similar to a

. File:Muchroom_coral.JPG, ''Fungia'' sp. in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

File:Herpolitha limax.jpg, ''Herpolitha limax'' in

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, ...

can appear bleached and also resemble a sea cucumber. File:Unknown Coral Front and back Macro.jpg, ''Fungia'' sp.

External links

* *
AIMS CoralSearch - ''Heliofungia actiniformis''Fungia scruposa eating a jelly fish (news.bbc.co.uk)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1798404 Scleractinia Cnidarian families Taxa named by James Dwight Dana