THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

female’s gastrovascular cavity. When released,
larvae settle nearby.
Mortality/Longevity: Polyps (the living
animal) can retract almost completely into its
protective cup.
Remarks: Unlike tropical corals, cup coral does
not form reefs. Instead it builds only its own
cuplike limestone base, cements it to rock, and
lives a solitary life. Groups of individuals may
live in close proximity.
Whisker Coral
Duncanopsammia axifuga (Dendrophylliidae)
Distribution: Australia, New Guinea and
eastern Indonesia.
Habitat: Deeper water, attached to hard objects
near sandy or muddy substrate.
Appearance: Normally green, blue-gray,
or brownish. Polyps are extended day and
night, and the long tentacles can obscure the
distinctive tubular corallites that support the
colony.
Diet: Photosynthetic products of zooxanthellae
as well as zooplankton and small invertebrates
by captured by tentacles.
Reproduction and Development: Sexual;
asexual by budding. Is captive grown. Until
recently was relatively unknown in the
aquarium trade.
Remarks: A relatively unaggressive coral
without sweeper tentacles that grows best in
fairly open space.
Orange Cup Coral
Tubastrea sp. (Dendrophylliidae)
Distribution: Circumtropical distribution;
widespread in the Indo-Pacific.
Habitat: Often found in entrances to caves and
on underhangs where they take advantage of
concentrated nutrient levels.
Appearance: Polyps may be brilliant yellow or
orange (like most of those on display) as well
as bright green, olive green, brown or blackish
depending on species, the last two colors also
on display.
Diet: Zooplankton, such as small crustaceans
and fish larvae. Lack zooxanthellae; polyps
typically emerge at night when the reef’s
plankton content is high.
Reproduction and Development: Sexual
reproduction by release of planular larvae;
California Academy of Sciences
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also asexual reproduction by budding of
new polyps from extensions of the skeleton.
Readily release new polyps in captivity. Note
their growing colonies in Matt Wandell’s Staff
Picks tank.
Remarks: Because they lack zooxanthellae,
Tubastrea are not reef-building corals and in
aquaria must be hand fed, usually twice a day,
a tricky balancing act between offering enough
food to keep the corals healthy but not so much
that water quality deteriorates.
One of the first coral genera shown to produce
bioactive compounds similar to soft corals. One
such compound, called tubastrine, has antiviral
properties. Tubastrea also produces toxins
that discourage competition and settlement of
other stony corals.
Turbinaria Cup Coral
Turbinaria sp. (Dendrophylliidae)
Distribution: Throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Habitat: Variable, from shallow turbid water to
clear reef flats and deeper reef slopes.
Appearance: May form cup, vase, or spreading
scroll-like shapes, depending on light and
water conditions. Color yellow, brown, or
sometimes green. Corallites separate and
distinct.
Diet: Many members of this family lack
zooxanthellae and are not reef builders. The
genus Turbinaria is an exception.
Reproduction and Development: Unlike most
stony corals, which spawn in summer, this
genus spawns in the fall.
Remarks: When irritated, can produce large
amounts of clear mucus which can damage
other corals; the mucus is presumed to contain
nematocysts or a toxin.
ORDER CERIANTHARIA
Tube Anemone
Pachycerianthus fimbriatus (Cerianthidae)
Distribution: California (total distribution
poorly known).
Habitat: Fairly common in soft mud bottoms
of bays and harbors and protected sandy
substrates of the outer coast. Low intertidal
and subtidal in S. California; subtidal only in
N. California.