Fungia fungites
©Andy: Macro image of Fungia fungites showing the typical form of septal ridges with triangular teeth
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Cnidaria
Class
Anthozoa
Order
Scleractinia
Family
Fungiidae
Genus
Fungia
Species
Fungia fungites
Distinguishing features
A fungid coral that forms a round skeleton up to 28cm diameter. Septal teeth are well developed and triangular. Colour is typically brown, but pink specimens are also found at Lizard Island. Distinguish from F. repanda by the larger, triangular septal teeth.
Size
- Size data has not been obtained.
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Reef fronts, lagoons.
Can be found in most habitats around Lizard Island.
Behaviour
F. fungites is a gonochoric broadcast spawner, however it can also reproduce asexually via budding of new individuals from the parent polyp. In WA, the proportion of asexual polyps was related to sediment regime, with more budding in areas of high sediment load.
Web resources
References
- Baird, A.H., J.R. Guest and B.L. Willis (2009). Systematic and biogeographical patterns in the reproductive biology of scleractinian corals, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 40: 551-571.
- Gilmour, J.P. (2002). Acute sedimentation causes size-specific mortality and asexual budding in the mushroom coral Fungia fungites, Marine and Freshwater Research, 53: 805-812.
- Gilmour, J.P. (2002). Substantial asexual recruitment of mushroom corals contributes little to population genetics of adults in conditions of chronic sedimentation, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 235: 81-91.
- View all references