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Dendrophylliidae: Characteristics of the Family: Most species lack Zooxanthellae. In fact this family contains the most common Azooxanthellates species found on reefs. They're either solitary or colonial, with corallites are mad up of walls that are porous, mainly filled with coenosteum in life, fused with distinct (Pourtales plan) septa. Of the genus with photosynthetic endosymbiotic algae, Turbinaria often finds its members employed in ornamental aquatics. As far as ahermatypic species of this family, only Tubastrea is regularly imported. Range: Dendrophylliids are found in tropical and non-tropical regions of the worlds oceans, some of the ahermatypic, Azooxanthellates ones to a depth of a 1,500 meters. The genera Turbinaria and Tubastrea are prominent shallow reef species in large parts of the tropical Indo-Pacific. Some Dendrophylliids are inconspicuous, but found in the tropical West Atlantic. Dendrophylliid Genera You're Not Likely To See: (There are others); Balanophyllia, Dendrophyllia, Not distinguishable from very similar Tubastrea without examination of dead skeletal (septal fusion) characteristics. Eguchipsammia: Mud dwelling, Azooxanthellates. Heteropsammia... Genus Balanophyllia: Solitary polyps, calyces appear round in cross section.
Genus Caryophyllia Lamarck 1831: /WA Corals: solitary often found in deep water but also shallow • attached or embedded in soft substrate • corallites > 2cm diameter • zooxanthellate Genus Dendrophyllia de Blainville 1830: Near impossible to distinguish from Tubastrea w/o microscopic analysis of corallite skeletons.
Genus Duncanopsamia Wells 1936: One species. /WA Corals: distinctive tubular corallites • tentacles often extended during the day • corallites >2.5cm diameter
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