Smooth flower coral
Eusmilia fastigiata
(Pallas, 1766)

Description:
This coral forms hemispherical mounds, with widely spaced polyps on long stalks, that appear to originate from a central core.

Color:
Shades of yellow-brown to brown and gray, often with blue to blue-green to green tinting that may be somewhat iridescent; tentacles white.

Corallites:
The corallite diameter across the valley varies between 8 and 13 cm, with 15-18 septa per cm. The columella is trabecular and continuous (E. fastigiata-corallite). There are no teeth on the septa.

Habitat:
Inhabit most reef environments, down to 60 m, but most common between 5 and 30 meters.

Distribution:
Common to occasional Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Subclass Hexacorallia
Order Scleractinia
Genus Eusmilia
Species Eusmilia fastigiata

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Eusmilia fastigiata (Pallas, 1766)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Smooth flower coral [English]

Humann, P., 1993. Reef Coral Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas, (ed. N. Deloach). New World Publications, Inc., Paramount Miller Graphics, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida.

Roos, P.J., 1964. The distribution of reef corals in Curacao. Stud. Fauna Curacao, 20: 1-51.

Roos, P.J., 1971. The shallow-water stony corals of the Netherlands Antilles. Studies on the fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean islands, 130.

Voss, G.L., 1976. Seashore life of Florida and the Carribbean. Banyan Books, Inc. Miami, Florida.

You can continue searching for Eusmilia fastigiata on one of these Web sites:

Fauna Europaea (animals) | IOPI (plants) | NCBI (genetic)

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