''Acanthastrea'' is a genus of large polyp stony

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secre ...

s in the family

Lobophylliidae Lobophylliidae is a family of large polyp stony corals. The family was created in 2009 after a revision of the "robust" families of Faviidae, Merulinidae, Mussidae and Pectiniidae, which had been shown to be polyphyletic. The family Lobophylliid ...

. The

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

are massive and usually flat. The

corallite A corallite is the skeletal cup, formed by an individual stony coral polyp, in which the polyp sits and into which it can retract. The cup is composed of aragonite, a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, and is secreted by the polyp. Corallit ...

s are either circular or angular in shape. The

septa The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates transit bus, bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people ...

are thick near the wall of the corallite, becoming thin near the

columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (; Arabic: , 4 – ) was a prominent writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His ' in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture, together with the ...

, and have tall teeth. The polyps are extended only at night. The genus contains the following species: * ''

Acanthastrea brevis ''Acanthastrea brevis'' is a vulnerable species of stony coral found in reef habitats at depths of 1–20 m. It is threatened by habitat loss and crown-of-thorns starfish predation. It is particularly susceptible to coral bleaching and ...

'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 * ''

Acanthastrea echinata ''Acanthastrea echinata'', commonly known as the starry cup coral, is a species of corals in the family Lobophylliidae. It is a wide-ranging species found from the western Indian Ocean, throughout the Pacific Ocean, and eastward to the southeas ...

'' (Dana, 1846) * ''

Acanthastrea hemprichii ''Acanthastrea'' is a genus of large polyp stony corals in the family Lobophylliidae. The colonies are massive and usually flat. The corallites are either circular or angular in shape. The septa are thick near the wall of the corallite, beco ...

'' (Ehrenberg, 1834) * ''

Acanthastrea minuta ''Acanthastrea'' is a genus of large polyp stony corals in the family Lobophylliidae. The colonies are massive and usually flat. The corallites are either circular or angular in shape. The septa are thick near the wall of the corallite, beco ...

'' Moll & Best, 1984 * ''

Acanthastrea pachysepta ''Acanthastrea'' is a genus of large polyp stony corals in the family Lobophylliidae. The colonies are massive and usually flat. The corallites are either circular or angular in shape. The septa are thick near the wall of the corallite, beco ...

'' (Chevalier, 1975) * ''

Acanthastrea polygonalis ''Acanthastrea'' is a genus of large polyp stony corals in the family Lobophylliidae. The colonies are massive and usually flat. The corallites are either circular or angular in shape. The septa are thick near the wall of the corallite, beco ...

''† Martin, 1880 * ''

Acanthastrea rotundoflora ''Acanthastrea rotundoflora'' is a species of coral found in Indo-Pacific waters from the Red Sea to Australia and the East China Sea. The species in uncommon throughout its range, and is threatened by the global loss of coral reef habitats. ...

'' Chevalier, 1975 * ''

Acanthastrea subechinata ''Acanthastrea'' is a genus of large polyp stony corals in the family Lobophylliidae. The colonies are massive and usually flat. The corallite A corallite is the skeletal cup, formed by an individual stony coral polyp, in which the polyp ...

'' Veron, 2002

References

Lobophylliidae Scleractinia genera {{Scleractinia-stub