Button cup corals
Caryophyllia spp.

Description:
Corallum ceratoid, straight and firmly attached through a robust pedicel about half the diameter of the corallite. About 1 cm in diameter and 12 mm in height. Theca covered with porcelaneous granules; costae usually inconspicuous; corallum white.
Septa arranged in 3 cycles: 10:10:20 (=40 septa). Septa of each cycle progressively narrower and less exsert. Columella fascicular.

Color:
Upper half of corallite in shades of brown; basal deposits creamy white.

Habitat:
Attached to hard substrate on the underside of ledge overhangs and cave ceilings. Occasionally in the recesses of small cavities.

Distribution:
Most species have an Antillean distribution.

Remarks:
Two species of this genus are recorded from the Leeward Island group: Caryophyllia maculata and Caryophyllia antillarum.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Subclass Hexacorallia
Order Scleractinia
Genus Caryophyllia
Species Caryophyllia spp.

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Not included in WoRMS database

Scientific synonyms and common names

Button cup corals [English]

Cairns, S.D., 2000. A Revision of the Shallow-water Azooxanthellate Scleractinia of the Western Atlantic. Studies on the natural history of the Caribbean region, LXXV, 1-231.

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

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

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