Astrocoeniidae

Astrocoeniidae
Stephanocoenia michelinii
Systematics
Trunk : Cnidarians (Cnidaria) Class : Flower animals (anthozoa) Subclass : Hexacorallia Order : Hard corals (Scleractinia) Family : Astrocoeniidae
Scientific name
Astrocoeniidae
Koby , 1890

The Astrocoeniidae are a small family of hard corals (Scleractinia). It is represented by the genera Stylocoeniella and Stephanocoenia . All Astrocoeniidae carry zooxanthellae . They can form large colonies larger than 50 cm in diameter. In Western Australia, colonies are reported to be several meters in diameter. They often live on slopes or overhangs of reefs and colonize all reef zones up to about 30 m water depth. Representatives of the Astrocoeniidae are often found at the distribution limits of the reefs. The family is of great interest in evolutionary biology because the genus Styloconiella is probably one of the oldest hard corals in evolutionary terms . There are fossil finds that can be dated to the Triassic period (approx. 245–210 million years ago). Stephanocoenia michelinii is endemic to the Caribbean . It is often associated with red tube worms. If the worms stretch out their tentacles, the surface of the coral appears reddish, as if it were driving “shame into its face”. In the English-speaking world it therefore bears the common name “Blushing Star Coral” (= shameful star coral). The whole family is largely irrelevant for seawater aquariums .

Species and genera

The World Register of Marine Species currently lists 19 species (including 6 recent) in 5 families.

• Astrocoenia Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848 †
  • Astrocoenia blanfordi Duncan, 1880 †
  • Astrocoenia cellulata Duncan, 1880 †
  • Astrocoenia dachiardii Duncan, 1873 †
  • Astrocoenia dachiardii Duncan, 1863 †
  • Astrocoenia gibbosa Duncan, 1880 †
• Palauastrea Yabe & Sugiyama, 1941
  • Palauastrea ramosa Yabe & Sugiyama, 1941
• Stephanocoenia Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848
  • Stephanocoenia incrustans Duncan, 1873 †
  • Stephanocoenia intersepta (Lamarck, 1816) - synonymous, Stephanocoenia michelini
  • Stephanocoenia maxima Duncan, 1880 †
  • Stephanocoenia microtuberculata Duncan, 1880 †
  • Stephanocoenia reussi Duncan, 1868 †
  • Stephanocoenia tenuis Duncan, 1863 †
• Stylocoenia Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 †
  • Stylocoenia maxima Duncan, 1880 †
  • Stylocoenia ranikoti Duncan, 1880 †
  • Stylocoenia taurinensis Michelin, 1842 †
• Stylocoeniella Yabe & Sugiyama, 1935
  • Stylocoeniella armata (Ehrenberg, 1834)
  • Stylocoeniella cocosensis Veron, 1990
  • Stylocoeniella guentheri (Bassett-Smith, 1890)
  • Stylocoeniella nikei Benzoni & Pichon, 2004

literature

• Svein A. Fosså / Alf Jacob Nilsen: Coral Reef Aquarium Volume 4, BSV, Bornheim 1995, ISBN 3-928819-05-4 .
• John Edward Norwood Veron : Corals of the World, Australian Institute of Marine Science, QLD-Australia 2000.
• Paul Humann: Reef Coral Identification, New World Publications, Inc., Florida, USA.

Web links

Commons : Astrocoeniidae  - collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

1. ^ WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Astrocoeniidae Koby, 1890. Retrieved April 22, 2019 .