Simplastrea
Genus of corals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simplastrea is a monotypic genus of large polyp stony coral from the Indian Ocean. It is represented by a single species, Simplastrea vesicularis.[2]
| Simplastrea | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Euphylliidae |
| Genus: | Simplastrea Umbgrove, 1939 |
| Species: | S. vesicularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Simplastrea vesicularis (Umbgrove, 1939) | |
Description
Colonies of Simplastrea vesicularis are flat and encrusting with circular corallites that are spaced evenly by beaded coenosteum.[3] It has thin walls, well-developed septae that are thin and straight with inner margins forming a columella tangle.[3] The entire surface of Simplastrea vesicularis is covered in small tentacles displaying slight extension.[3]
Distribution and habitat
It can be found throughout the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific in the shallow waters of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia where it encrusts rock surfaces of coral reefs.[3][4]
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