Lowridge Cactus Coral

A hard coral with polyps approximately 1 cm diameter, bright orange color.

How to Distinguish from Similar Species: The only other hard coral in this area, the subtidal Caryophyllia alaskensis, is beige.

Biology/Natural History: The polyps of this coral are solitary. Typically is found near crustose coralline algae in areas exposed to moderately strong surf. It has no symbiotic algae. Sexes are separate. The eggs are fertilized inside the mother's gastrovascular cavity and develop to planula larvae there. Planulae larvae usually settle within 10 cm of the parent. This is the only common intertidal species of hard coral along our coast. This coral catches prey primarily by nematocysts and spirocysts on its tentacles, but may open its mouth widely and capture some prey with the mesenteries inside its gastrovascular cavity. This species is known to be able to absorb dissolved organic carbon from the water.

Geographical Range: SE Alaska to Baja California

Depth Range: Lower intertidal to 10 m depth

Lower rocky intertidal and subtidal; mostly outer coast.

Balanophyllia elegans Verrill, 1864

Balanophyllia elegans Verrill, 1864:44; 1870a:511–512, pl. 10: fig. 3; 1870b:560.—Whiteaves, 1886:115.—Hickson, 1917:24.—Durham, 1947:41, pl. 1: figs. 7, 8, 11, 12; pl. 10: figs. 3, 4, text-fig. 2A; 1949: 142–145, 161, text-figs. 3, 17–7, pl. 5: figs. 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 15.—Durham and Barnard, 1952:99–100, pl. 14: fig. 62a-c.—Ricketts and Calvin, 1952:37, pl. 6: fig. 5.—Emerson, 1956:394.—Hertlein and Emerson, 1960:84, pl. 19: figs. 24, 19–21, pl. 24: figs. 4, 5, 8, 13, 15–17.—Guberlet, 1962:53, figure.—Addicott, 1966, pl. 1: figs. 25, 26.—Johnson and Snook, 1967:109, pl. 3: fig. 87.—Talmadge, 1972:81, fig.—Hand, 1975:93.—Brusca and Brusca, 1978:54, fig. 30.—Gerrodette, 1979:227–234; 1981:611–618.—Lewbel et al., 1981:165.—Fadlallah and Pearse, 1982a:223–230, 9 figs.—Fadlallah, 1983a:132; 1983b:200–206, 7 figs.—Austin, 1985: 81.—Bythell, 1986:20, pl. 3: fig. B; pl. 11: figs. A-F.—Kozloff, 1987:72.—Hellberg, 1991:30.—Cairns et al., 1991:48.—Chadwick, 1991:42–47.

DESCRIPTION.—Corallum cylindrical to trochoid, often short and squat, but occasionally taller and more vasiform. Pedicel robust: PD:GCD = 0.50–0.80; base polycyclic (Durham, 1949). Largest specimen examined (Alb-4552, Plate 12b,c) 16.8 × 13.7 mm in calicular diameter and 17.3 mm in height. Coralla invariably secondarily epithecate, the epitheca covering at least the lower third to as much as the entire underlying synapticulothecate wall. Epitheca often encrusted with coralline algae, bryozoans, and serpulids. Synapticulotheca porous; costae usually not well developed, but when present are low and rounded, separated by porous intercostal furrows about one-quarter width of a costa. Costae covered with small fine granules. Corallum white; polyp a vivid red-orange or bright red.

Septa hexamerally arranged in four or five incomplete cycles. Fourth cycle (48 septa) complete at a GCD of about 7–8 mm, half the fifth cycle (72 septa) at a GCD of 11–12 mm, and up to 88 septa in the largest coralla examined; a full fifth cycle was not observed. S1–2 equal in size, only slightly exsert, and have straight, entire inner edges that attain the columella. S3 one-third to half width of S1–2 and have dentate lower inner edges. Remaining septa arranged in a Pourtalès Plan (Figure 2). In small coralla having no S5, each pair of S4 meet before its adjacent S3 and extends to the columella as a single septum. When pairs of S5 occur, they first occur flanking S4 that are adjacent to S1, not those adjacent to S2 (Figure 2, lower right half-system adjacent to medial S1). At this stage the pair of S5 in each half-system unites before its adjacent S3 and also joins with the singleton S4 near the columella. After 12 pairs of S5 are inserted in this manner (72 septa), additional pairs of S5 form flanking the S4 adjacent to the S2 (Figure 2, lower right half-system adjacent to lateral S1). Inner edges of S4–5 laciniate. All septal faces finely granular. Fossa of moderate depth, containing an elongate, spongy columella, which may have a flat of concave surface.

Balanophyllia elegans, the orange coral or orange cup coral, is a species of solitary cup coral, a stony coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. It is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean. As an azooxanthellate species, it does not contain symbiotic dinoflagellates in its tissues in the way that most corals do.

azooxanthellate

0-293 m