The Fungiidae () are a family of

Cnidaria Cnidaria ( ) is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic invertebrates found both in fresh water, freshwater and marine environments (predominantly the latter), including jellyfish, hydroid (zoology), hydroids, ...

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

extant Extant or Least-concern species, least concern 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 * Exta ...

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

. They range from solitary corals to colonial species. Some genera such as '' Cycloseris'' and '' Fungia'' are solitary organisms, '' Polyphyllia'' consists of a single organism with multiple mouths, and '' Ctenactis'' and '' Herpolitha'' 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: * ''Solitary'' (album), 2008 album by Don Dokken * ''Solitary'' (2020 film), a British sci-fi thriller film * ''Solitary'' (upcoming film), an American drama film * "S ...

marine animals Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine current power * Marine debris * Marine energy * Marine habitats * Ma ...

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 the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "the depths". ...

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 most animals. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton, a rigid internal fra ...

to feed at night. Most species remain fully detached from the

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...

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 Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

Genera

The

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

includes these

in the family: *''

Cantharellus ''Cantharellus'' is a genus of mushrooms, commonly known as chanterelles (), a name which can also refer to the type species, '' Cantharellus cibarius''. They are mycorrhizal fungi, meaning they form symbiotic associations with plants. Ch ...

'' Hoeksema & Best, 1984 *'' Ctenactis'' Verrill, 1864 *'' Cycloseris'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 *'' Danafungia'' Wells, 1966 *'' Fungia'' Lamarck, 1801 *'' Halomitra'' Dana, 1846 *'' Heliofungia'' Wells, 1966 *'' Herpolitha'' Eschscholtz, 1825 *'' Lithophyllon'' Rehberg, 1892 *'' Lobactis'' Verrill, 1864 *'' Pleuractis'' Verrill, 1864 *'' Podabacia'' Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 *'' Polyphyllia'' Blainville, 1830 *'' Sandalolitha'' Quelch, 1884 *'' Sinuorota'' Oku, Naruse & Fukami, 2017 *'' Zoopilus'' Dana, 1846

Notable species

*One fungiid

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

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

sea anemone Sea anemones ( ) are a group of predation, predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order (biology), order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemone ...

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 Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit f ...

pipefish, '' Siokunichthys nigrolineatus''. *''Heliofungia actiniformis'' provides shelter to some fish species (

Gobiidae Gobiidae or gobies is a family (biology), family of bony fish in the order (biology), order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising over 2,000 species in more than 200 genus, genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typ ...

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

sea cucumber Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class (biology), class Holothuroidea ( ). They are benthic marine animals found on the sea floor worldwide, and the number of known holothuroid species worldwide is about 1,786, with the greatest number be ...

( 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, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

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

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of approximately 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Poly ...

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)
{{Authority control Scleractinia Cnidarian families Taxa named by James Dwight Dana