| Elegance coral | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Euphylliidae |
| Genus: | Catalaphyllia Wells, 1971 |
| Species: | C. jardinei |
| Binomial name | |
| Catalaphyllia jardinei (Saville-Kent, 1893) | |
| Synonyms | |
List (Species)
| |
Catalaphyllia is amonotypic genus ofstony coral in thefamilyEuphylliidae from the western Pacific Ocean. It is represented by a single species,Catalaphyllia jardinei, commonly known aselegance coral (orwonder coral, ridge coral).[2] It was first described byWilliam Saville-Kent in 1893 asPectinia jardinei.[3]
Because of its unique and beautiful look, this coral is popular inreef tanks.[2] It is anoverexploited species collected in large quantities from the wild for the aquarium trade.[1]
This coral has very large, visiblepolyps. They develop on a large, branchingcorallite skeleton, each polyp sporting unusually large, long tendrils, and a large, fleshy oral disc.[3][4] It can come in several colours: fluorescent green, lime green, and brown.[5]
Catalaphyllia can reproduce sexually, but also asexually by budding new branches that drop off to form satellite colonies.[2]
Like mostphotosynthetic coral, this species hostszooxanthellae,dinoflagellates that convert sunlight into sugar for energy. Like a subset of other corals, it also has a "mouth" that it uses to ingest bits of other food gathered by its large tendrils. The behavior and adaptation are similar to those ofsea anemones.[4]
This coral commonly lives onreefs in the western and central Pacific Ocean, as well as occasionally in the eastern Indian Ocean. Its range extends as far north as Japan, and south to northern Australia.[2][4]
It can be present on both the shallow and midwater parts of a reef, and prefers water that is strongly agitated or exposed to significant currents. It is commonly seated in sandy areas, rather than directly on rocks.[6]
