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Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Zoantharia/Hexacorallia > Order Scleractinia > Family Fungiidae
Lithophyllon mushroom coral
Lithophyllon undulatum*
Family Fungiidae
updated Nov 2019
Where seen? This plate-like coral that is stuck to a hard surface is sometimes seen on our Southern shores.

Features: Flat plate-like about 20cm in diameter, attached at the base with a stalk but wavy with lobes at the edges. May also be encrusting. The corallites form a distinctive pattern of thick parallel lines perpendicular to the edge. There is a 'waist' in the parallel lines at the mouth of the corallite, i.e., the parallel lines merge at regular intervals. The walls are thick with fine 'teeth'.

May be confused with Bracket mushroom coral (Podabacia sp.) which has finer lines with thinner walls.

Status and threats: It is listed as globally Near Threatened by the IUCN.

Cyrene Reef, Mar 07

*Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.

Lithophyllon mushroom corals on Singapore shores
On wildsingapore flickr

Other sightings on Singapore shores


Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, Jun 23


Photo shared by Tommy Arden on facebook.


Tanah Merah, Jun 10
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr.

Sentosa Serapong, May 17
Photo shared by Abel Yeo on facebook.
 


Little Sisters Island, Feb 15
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on his blog.

Terumbu Pempang Tengah, Jul 12
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr.
 

Links

References

  • Hoeksema, Bert W. and Esther G. L. Koh. 30 Dec 2009. Depauration of the mushroom coral fauna (Fungiidae) of Singapore (1860s-2006) in changing reef conditions (pdf). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement No. 22: 91-101.
  • Hoeksama, Bert W. 30 Dec 2009. Attached mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) in sediment-stressed reef conditions at Singapore, including a new species and a new record. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement No. 22: 97-107.
  • Danwei Huang, Karenne P. P. Tun, L. M Chou and Peter A. Todd. 30 Dec 2009. An inventory of zooxanthellate sclerectinian corals in Singapore including 33 new records (pdf). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement No. 22: 69-80.
  • Veron, Jen. 2000. Corals of the World Australian Institute of Marine Science, Australia. 3 volumes.
  • Erhardt, Harry and Daniel Knop. 2005. Corals: Indo-Pacific Field Guide IKAN-Unterwasserachiv, Frankfurt. 305 pp.
 
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