831 species

Fungia scutaria

Lamarck, 1801

Fungia

Lamarck, 1801

Characters: Polyps are oval, thick, heavy and up to 170 millimetres long. Primary septa commence with a tall tentacular lobe and these are distributed at regular intervals from the mouth to the perimeter.

Colour: Usually brown, blue or yellow, often with bright green, blue or white tentacular lobes.

Similar Species: Fungia seychellensis.

Habitat: Found with other Fungia species and also on upper reef slopes exposed to strong wave action.

Abundance: Common and distinctive.

Taxonomic Note: Called Lobactis scutaria by Gittenberger, Reijnen and Hoeksema (2011) from molecular data. However, this requires further study.

COTW History since Veron (2000a)
  • Family: All families are currently under review
  • Genus/species: No change