species: Paracorynactis hoplites in taxonomy (Gaia Guide)
Animalia > Radiata > Cnidaria > Anthozoa > Anthozoa > Hexacorallia > Corallimorpharia > Corallimorphidae > Paracorynactis > Paracorynactis hoplites (gallery)
Paracorynactis hoplites


©Lyle Vail: Paracorynactis hoplites about 10 cm diameter at Big Vicki's Reef, Lizard Island.

©Lyle Vail: Paracorynactis hoplites about 10 cm diameter at Big Vicki's Reef, Lizard Island.

©Lyle Vail: Paracorynactis hoplites about 10 cm diameter at Big Vicki's Reef, Lizard Island.

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Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Order Corallimorpharia
Family Corallimorphidae
Genus Paracorynactis
Species Paracorynactis hoplites

Colours

                        

Distinguishing features

A bare oral disc with a prominent mouth cone surrounded by tentacles with a spherical tip; looks very anemone-like if the bare oral disc is not visible.

Size

  • Up to 10 cm (Diameter of oral disc of Lizard Island specimens)
  • Up to 21 cm (Diameter of Philippines specimens (Bos et al, 2008).)

Synonyms

Behaviour

This corallimorph is a predator of echinoderms and is known to eat adult Crown-of-thorns starfish and other large species (Bos et al, 2008). In the Philippines, COTS individuals up to 25 cm diameter presented to individual Paracorynactis hoplites polyps were completely ingested in less than 30 minutes (De Dios, 2015).

Web resources

References

  • Bos, A.R., G.S. Gumanao and F.N. Salac (2008). A newly discovered predator of the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish. Coral Reefs, 27(3): 581. LIRS catalog number 90221.
  • De Dios, H.H.Y. (2015). Predation and feeding behavior of corallimorpharian Paracorynactis hoplites (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) on Acanthaster planci in Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte, Philippines, Journal Science, Engineering and Technology, 8(1): 46-54. LIRS catalog number 90222.