''Pleuractis'' is a
genus
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 n ...
of mushroom corals in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
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 to colonial species. Some genera such as '' Cycloseris'' and ''Fungia'' are ...
. Members of the genus are found growing on reefs in the
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth.
In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
.
Taxonomy
Although treated as a subgenus of ''
Fungia
''Fungia'' is a genus of corals in the family Fungiidae. It is monotypic with the single species ''Fungia fungites'', which is found growing on reefs in the Indo-Pacific.
Taxonomy
Until 2015, the genus ''Fungia'' had more than 30 species, but ...
'' by Hoeksma (1989), a 2011 paper elevated ''Pleuractis'' to generic level.
[Gittenberger, A., B. T. Reijnen, and B. W. Hoeksema. 2011. A molecularly based phylogeny reconstruction of mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) with taxonomic consequences and evolutionary implications for life history traits. Contrib. Zool. 80:107–132.]
Species
The World Register of Marine Species currently lists the following species:
*''
Pleuractis alta''
(Nemenzo, 1983)
*''
Pleuractis granulosa''
(Klunzinger, 1879)
*''
Pleuractis gravis''
(Nemenzo, 1955)
*''
Pleuractis moluccensis''
(Van der Horst, 1919)
*''
Pleuractis paumotensis''
(Stutchbury, 1833)
*''
Pleuractis seychellensis''
(Hoeksema, 1993)
*''
Pleuractis taiwanensis''
(Hoeksema and Dai, 1991)
References
External links
ReefCorner - Fungia Coral Database Entry
Fungiidae
Scleractinia genera
{{scleractinia-stub