:  The Stony Corals Home  >  Library  >  Cnidaria  >   Back Anthozoa: Stony Corals Body Form: The stony corals (Scleractinians) have polyps than number in tentacles of 6 or multiples of 6. They produce a calcerous skeleton that sometimes makes species identification simple. They possess short tentacles that are primarily plankton feeders. May species have longer sweeper tentacles for protection and longer feeding tentacles to capture larger prey. Natural History: The Scleractinians is the largest group of Cnidarian species. Many receive most of their nutrition from zooxanthellate dinoflagellate algae that live within their bodies. Types that build aragonite skeletons are called 'hermatypic', and those that don't are called 'ahermatypic'. Hermatypic corals are the world's reef-buiders and include most of the stony coral species. Most stony corals do feed on some plankton and also absorb some nutrients directly from the water around them. This group is divided, for convenience only, into SPS (small-polyped stony) and LPS (large-polyped stony) forms. Acroporidae Staghorn, Cat's Paw, Bottlebrush, Tabletop, Briar, Velvet, and Velvet Finger Corals; (Montipora) Agariciidae Elephant Skin Coral, Corduroy Coral, Sactle Coral, Phonograph Record Coral, Cactus Coral, Lettuce Coral, Star Column Coral, Leaf Coral, Bark Cloth Coral Caryophylliidae Elegance, Elegant, Wonder, Hammer, Anchor, Grape, Frogspawn, Octopus, Torch, Fox, Jasmine, Pearl, and Grape, Bubble Corals Dendrophyllidae Duncan; Whisker, Orange Cub, Sun, Black Sun, Yellow Cup, Pagoda, and Turban Corals Faviidae Trumpet, Torch, Candy Cane, Candy, Cat's Eye, Moon, Hedgehog, Pineapple, Brain, Closed Brain, Star, Honeycomb, Maze, and Boulder Corals Fungiidae Disc, Mushroom, Plate, Tongue, Fungus, Chinaman Hat, Helmet, Dome, Neptune's Cap, Long Tentacle Plate, Tongue Slipper, Slipper, and Mole Corals Merulinidae Horn, Velvet Horn, Knob, Ruffled, Lettuce, Ridge, and Cabbage Corals Mussidae Acan; Pineapple, Button, Cat's Eye, Doughnut, Meat, Tooth, Lobed Brain, Flat Brain, Open Brain, Mushroom, Closed Brain, annd Brain Corals Oculinidae Galaxy, Crystal, Star, Brittle, and Durian Corals Pectiniidae Elephant Nose, Peacock, Scroll, Chalice, Lettuce, Plate, Antler, Palm, and Hibiscus Corals Pocilloporidae Cauliflower, Bird's Nest, Brush, Cluster, Needle, Finger Corals Poritidae Daisy, Ball, Flowerpot, and Finger Corals; Jeweled, Christmas Tree Worm Rock Trachyphylliidae Open Brain, Folded Brain, and Crater Corals Back