Cup Corals [Halicyathus]

Description

Halicyathus is a genus of stony corals in the family Halicyathidae, commonly known as cup corals. These corals are characterized by their solitary, cup-shaped polyps which can be found either attached to a substrate or free-living. The skeleton, or corallite, is usually circular and can vary in size. Halicyathus species are azooxanthellate, meaning they do not contain symbiotic zooxanthellae in their tissues and thus rely on capturing plankton and other small particles from the water column for nutrition. They inhabit a variety of marine environments from shallow to deep waters across the world's oceans.

Species

Taxonomy