Siderastreidae

Siderastreidae is a family of reef building stony corals. Members of the family include symbiotic algae called Zooxanthellae in their tissues which help provide their energy requirements.

Description

Members of this family are colonial, hermatypic (reef-building) corals. The corals vary in form and include massive, thickly encrusting, columnar and irregular forms. The corallites are linked by flowing septae which have granular margins and which are fused in the centre to give fan-shaped or star-shaped groupings. The corallites do not project from the surface of the coral and have ill-defined walls formed from thickened septae.^{[2] [3]}

Genera

The World Register of Marine Species includes the following genera in the family:^[1][2]

• Anomastraea Marenzeller, 1901 - Monotypic. The only species is Anomastraea irregularis, crisp pillow coral.
• Coscinaraea Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1849 - About 10 species.
• Craterastrea Head, 1983 - Monotypic. The only species is Craterastrea levis.
• Horastrea Pichon, 1971 - Monotypic. The only species is Horastrea indica.
• Psammocora Dana, 1846 - About 14 species, pillar or cat's paw coral.
• Pseudosiderastrea Yabe & Sugiyama, 1935 - Monotypic. The only species is Pseudosiderastrea tayami.
• Siderastrea - About 4 species, starlet coral.

References