Fungiidae

The Fungiidae () are a family of Cnidaria, commonly known as mushroom corals or plate corals. The family contains thirteen extant genera. They range from solitary corals to colonial species. Some genera such as Cycloseris and Fungia are solitary organisms, Polyphyllia consists of a single organism with multiple mouths, and Ctenactis and Herpolitha might be considered as solitary organisms with multiple mouths or a colony of individuals, each with its separate mouth.

Characteristics Species are generally solitary marine animals capable of benthic locomotion.Halstead, Bob. 2000. Coral Sea Reef Guide. Sea Challengers, Danville, CA, USA. These corals often appear to be bleached or dead. In most genera, a single polyp emerges from the center of the skeleton to feed at night. Most species remain fully detached from the substrate in adulthood. Some are immobile as well as colonial.

Ecology Some species of mushroom coral such as Fungia repanda and Ctenactis echinata are able to change sex. This is posited to take place in response to environmental or energetic constraints, and to improve the organism's evolutionary fitness; similar phenomena are observed in some dioecious plants.Yossi Loya and Kazuhiko Sakai, "Bidirectional sex change in mushroom stony corals", Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 22 October 2008

Genera The World Register of Marine Species includes these genera in the family:

Cantharellus Hoeksema & Best, 1984 Ctenactis Verrill, 1864 Cycloseris Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 Danafungia Wells, 1966 Fungia Lamarck, 1801 Halomitra Dana, 1846 Heliofungia Wells, 1966 Herpolitha Eschscholtz, 1825 Lithophyllon Rehberg, 1892 Lobactis Verrill, 1864 Pleuractis Verrill, 1864 Podabacia Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 Polyphyllia Blainville, 1830 Sandalolitha Quelch, 1884 Sinuorota Oku, Naruse & Fukami, 2017 Zoopilus Dana, 1846

Notable species One fungiid species, Heliofungia actiniformis ("anemone coral"), can be easily mistaken for a sea anemone [actiniarian] because its tentacles remain visible during the day. They also provide shelter to some fish species (Gobiidae and Labridae). Fungia spp. have a commensal pipefish, Siokunichthys nigrolineatus. Some fungiids can be elongated and look like a sea cucumber (stichopodid). Some fungiids (Danafungia scruposa) have been observed eating jellyfish.

Importance to humans Members of the family Fungiidae are not of any commercial importance, but are collected for the aquarium trade and are sold as "plate corals".

Fungiidae

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