| Meandrinidae | |
|---|---|
| Threespot damselfish (Stegastes planifrons) among Dendrogyra cylindrus corals. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Anthozoa |
| Subclass: | Zoantharia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Meandrinidae [1] |
| Genera | |
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Meandrinidae is a family of stony corals. The name comes from the Greek, "maiandros" meaning "meandering", referring to the miniature, winding valleys that are found between the corallites. Fossil corals in this family have been found dating back to the Cretaceous.[2]
Members of the Meandrinidae are colonial corals and form part of the reef building community. They contain zooxanthellae, microscopic algae symbionts that provide them with energy. They come in various different shapes including massive, encrusting, columnar and phaceloid (with tubular corallites united at the base). Although superficially resembling members of the Faviidae family, the corallites of meandrinids have solid, non-porous walls and evenly spaced, solid septae. Most of the genera are found only in the Atlantic Ocean but Ctenella is endemic to the Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.[2]
The World Register of Marine Species includes the following genera in the family:[1]