WHATSTHATFISH
Corals & anemones

Sunflower Mushroom Hard Coral

Heliofungia actiniformis

Also known as: Anemone Mushroom Coral, Disk Coral, Long Tentacle Plate Coral, Long-tentacled Plate Coral, Mushroom Coral, Plate Anemone, Plate Coral, Torch Coral

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2024
Adult
@fishx6 · Lembeh, Indonesia · August 20081 / 12
01

Overview

Found singly, free living and flat, with a central mouth, over shallow waters, of coral and rocky reefs, with the polyps open day and night. Colours vary from a pale or dark, green/blue or grey tentacles, with pink or white tips.
This coral resembles the Stichodactyla mertensii and Bald-tipped coral - Euphyllia glabrescens.

Stony corals have hard stony skeletons, their polyps have six tentacles or are made up of multiples of six. These are usually nocturnal, however if the sky's are overcast, then many will feed during the day.
Generally the more robust corals life on exposed areas, while the smaller corals live in sheltered lagoons or deeper waters.
Stony corals are reef building corals and embedded in their flesh are thousands of minute single-celled marine plants called zooxanthellae which accounts for their colour.
These corals support a huge diversity of life, their main predator being the crown-of-thorns sea star.

02

How to identify

COLOURS
Pattern
white tips
Body shape
tentacles

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Indo-Pacific
  • Country only · 12
LIVES IN

Found singly, free living and flat, with a central mouth, over shallow waters, of coral and rocky reefs, with the polyps open day and night.

04

Adult photos 12

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Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumCnidaria
    3. classHexacorallia
    4. orderScleractinia
    5. familyFungiidae
    6. genusHeliofungia
    7. speciesHeliofungia actiniformis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)

    SourcesWoRMSWikipedia

    07

    More in the family

    Stony Corals (Fungiidae)