Catalaphyllia

Elegance coral
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Anthozoa
Order:	Scleractinia
Family:	Euphylliidae
Genus:	Catalaphyllia Wells, 1971
Species:	C. jardinei
Binomial name
Catalaphyllia jardinei (Saville-Kent, 1893)

Catalaphyllia jardinei, commonly known as elegance coral (or wonder coral, ridge coral), is a large polyp stony coral from the western Pacific Ocean. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Catalaphyllia.^[2] It was first described by William Saville-Kent in 1893 as Pectinia jardinei.^[3]

Because of its unique and beautiful look, this coral is popular in reef tanks.^[2] It is an overexploited species collected in large quantities from the wild for the aquarium trade.^[1]

Description

This coral has very large, visible polyps. They develop on a large, branching coralite skeleton, each polyp sporting unusually large, long tendrils, and a large, fleshy oral disc.^[3][4] It can come in several colours: fluorescent green, lime green, and brown.^[5]

Catalaphyllia can reproduce sexually, but also asexually by budding new branches that drop off to form satellite colonies.^[2]

Like most photosynthetic coral, this species hosts zooxanthellae, dinoflagellates that convert sunlight into sugar for energy. Like a subset of other corals, it also has a "mouth" that it uses to ingest bits of other food gathered by its large tendrils. The behavior and adaptation are similar to those of sea anemones.^[4]

Distribution

This coral commonly lives on reefs in the western and central Pacific Ocean, as well as occasionally in the eastern Indian Ocean. Its range extends as far north as Japan, and south to northern Australia.^[2][4]

It can be present on both the shallow and midwater parts of a reef, and prefers water that is strongly agitated or exposed to significant currents. It is commonly seated in sandy areas, rather than directly on rocks.^[6]

Corals and coral reefs
Stony corals	Scleractinia Blue coral Brain coral Elkhorn coral Hermatypic coral Chalice coral Pillar coral Staghorn coral Table coral
Soft corals	Alcyonacea Black coral Bamboo coral Organ pipe coral Sea fans Sea pens
Coral reefs	Atoll reef Cay Fringing reef Microatoll Coral reef fish Census of Coral Reefs The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs Catlin Seaview Survey
Coral regions	List of reefs Deep-water coral African coral reefs Amazon Reef Andros, Bahamas Belize Barrier Reef Coral Sea Islands Coral Triangle Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Great Barrier Reef Maldives Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System New Caledonia Barrier Reef Pulley Ridge Raja Ampat Islands Red Sea Southeast Asian coral reefs
Coral diseases	Coral bleaching Black band disease Skeletal eroding band White band disease White pox disease
Protection	Coral Reef Alliance Coral reef protection Green Fins International Society for Reef Studies Project AWARE Reef Check Reef Ball
Other	Artificial reef Aquaculture of coral Coral dermatitis Precious coral Coral rag Coral reef organizations Coral sand Coralline alga Environmental issues with coral reefs Fire coral Reef resilience Rugosa (extinct) Symbiodinium Tabulata

References