Blushing star coral
Stephanocoenia michelinii
Edwards & Haime, 1848

Description:
This species forms small to moderately large heads (15-75 cm) and is often simply encrusting.

Color:
Brownish. On approaching this coral, the polyps withdraw giving the colony a blushing appearance.

Corallites:
Columella massive, more or less laterally compressed. Septa in three cycles, the first two with pali or with paliform lobes attached to the columella.

Habitat:
Probably generally present in exposed waters; not very common. From 1 to nearly 100 m, but most common between 3 and 50 m.

Distribution:
Throughout the Caribbean.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Subclass Hexacorallia
Order Scleractinia
Genus Stephanocoenia
Species Stephanocoenia michelinii

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Not included in WoRMS database

Scientific synonyms and common names

Blushing star coral [English]
Blooskoraal [Dutch]
Verblekend sterkoraal [Dutch]
Corail étoilé palissant [French]
Erblassende Sternkoralle [German]
Stephanocoenia intersepta

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.

No distribution map was available at OBIS the last time we checked. Retry now.

You can continue searching for Stephanocoenia michelinii on one of these Web sites:

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

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