Brain coral

Brain coral

Diploria labyrinthiformis (grooved brain coral)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Anthozoa
Order:	Scleractinia
Family:	Mussidae Ortmann, 1890
Genera
Agathiphyllia Antiguastrea Barbattoia Caulastraea Colpophyllia Cyphastrea Diploastrea Diploria Echinopora Favia Favites Goniastrea Hadrophyllia Leptoria Manicina Montastraea Oulophyllia Platygyra Thysanus

Brain coral is a common name given to corals in the family Mussidae, so called due to their generally spheroid shape and grooved surface which resembles a brain. Each head of coral is formed by a colony of genetically identical polyps which secrete a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate; this makes them important coral reef builders like other stony corals in the order Scleractinia.

Brain corals are found in shallow warm-water coral reefs in all the world's oceans. They are part of the phylum Cnidaria, in a class called Anthozoa or "flower animals". The lifespan of the largest brain corals is 900 years. Colonies can grow as large as 1.8 m (6 ft) or more in height.

Brain corals extend their tentacles to catch food at night. During the day, they use their tentacles for protection by wrapping them over the grooves on their surface. The surface is hard and offers good protection against fish or hurricanes. Branching corals, such as staghorn corals, grow more rapidly, but are more vulnerable to storm damage.

Like other genera of corals, brain corals feed on small drifting animals, and also receive nutrients provided by the algae which live within their tissues. The behavior of one of the most common genera, Favia, is semiaggressive; it will sting other corals with its extended sweeper tentacles during the night. The genus and species have not been defined through the scientific classification segment.

Genera

Barabattoai Yabe and Sugiyama, 1941
Bikiniastrea Wells, 1954
Caulastraea Dana, 1846 (candy cane coral)
Colpophyllia Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848
Cyphastrea Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848
Diploastrea Matthai, 1914
Diploria Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848
Echinopora Lamarck, 1816
Erythrastrea Pichon, Scheer and Pillai, 1983
Favia Oken, 1815
Favites Link, 1807 (moon, pineapple, brain, closed brain, star, worm, or honeycomb coral)
Goniastrea Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848
Leptastrea Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848
Leptoria Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848
Manicina Ehrenberg, 1834
Montastraea de Blainville, 1830
Moseleya Quelch, 1884
Oulastrea Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848
Oulophyllia Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848
Parasimplastrea Sheppard, 1985
Platygyra Ehrenberg, 1834
Plesiastrea Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848
Solenastrea Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848

Gallery

Brain coral spawning
Brain coral, Caribbean Sea near Esperanza on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico
Black band disease on a brain coral in Caribbean Sea near Bahia de la Chiva on the island of Vieques
Close-up of a brain coral near Nusa Kode Island, Indonesia
Closeup of Diploria strigosa, Snapper Ledge, Florida Keys
Diploria clivosa (dead), San Salvador Island, Bahamas
Fossil Diploria at the Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park, of Pleistocene age
Diploria strigosa, in the near shore waters of Key West, FL
Close up of Diploria labyrinthiformis with visible polyps, Vieques, Puerto Rico

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 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

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