Dykking med Soppkoraller

Lantas marine liv | Fungiidae

Soppkoraller av familien Fungiidae er flate eller kuppelformede, med runde eller ovale skjeletter og noen ganger en sentral bue. Disse korallene lever for det meste alene og fritt (de er ikke festet til underlaget), og sees ofte på alle korallrev på dykkerturer til Koh Lanta.

De fleste soppkoraller er faktisk en enkelt, gigantisk polyp, noen med flere munner. Noen få arter danner faktisk små «kolonier» ved at flere polypper lever i det samme, delte skjelettet.

Alle arter har brede, spalteformede munner med korte tentakler som vanligvis strekkes ut for å spise om natten, bortsett fra solsikkesoppkorallen (Heliofungia actiniformis), som har svært lange tentakler som strekkes ut om dagen og ofte forveksles med en sjøanemone.

Frittlevende individer kan bevege seg, om enn svært sakte. De gjør dette ved å blåse opp og tømme vevet sitt. Mens mindre individer kan klare å rette seg opp igjen hvis de ved et uhell blir veltet, vil større individer dø hvis dette skjer med dem.

Unge soppkoraller starter livet festet til en hard overflate, og ser faktisk ut som en liten sopp med stilk. Hos de fleste artene løsner korallene etter hvert fra stilken når de modnes, og lever videre som voksne, uten å være festet til bunnen. Hos noen få arter forblir den voksne korallen festet, og stilken skjules av den voksende skiven.

3 arter funnet på denne siden:

Elongate Mushroom Coral (Ctenactis echinata)
Common Mushroom Coral (Fungia fungites)
Tongue Mushroom Coral (Herpolitha limax)

Elongate Mushroom Coral

(Ctenactis echinata)

Ctenactis echinata @ Koh Haa

The Elongate Mushroom Coral has an oblong-oval shape and is usually brownish, but may also be greenish.

This species is not colonial (it only has a single polyp/mouth) and is free living, with a dominant axial furrow.

The upper side has large, toothed costate septa (a septa is one of the radiating vertical plates within the corallite wall. When it extends beyond the coralite wall, it is called the costate). The underside has numerous pointed tips.

The Elongate Mushroom Coral can grow up to 25 cm long, and is common to all dive sites around Koh Lanta.

Common Mushroom Coral

(Fungia fungites)

Fungia fungites @ Koh Haa

The Common Mushroom Coral has a circular coral plate, occasionally with an arched center. The septal teeth are triangular and pointed.

The tentacles are short and bubble-shaped. The colour may vary from greyish-green to yellowish-brown to pink.

The Common Mushroom Coral is often seen solitary, or in small groups, usually in shallower areas. This single coral polyp can grow to 28 cm, but is usually observed 5 cm to 15 cm.

Tongue Mushroom Coral

(Herpolitha limax)

Herpolitha limax @ Koh Haa

The Tongue Mushroom Coral, also known as the Slipper Coral or Boomerang Coral, is a colonial, free-living mushroom coral, with many polyps living within a single colony.

Colonies may be flat or domed, and are usually elongate, with rounded ends. Colonies may also be Y, T or X shaped.

Tongue Mushroom Coral axial furrow with slit-like mouths

The Tongue Mushroom Coral has an indistinct axial furrow which runs most of the length of the colony, and contains multiple irregularly spaced slit-like mouths.

There are many smaller secondary mouths occurring outside the axial furrow. Septa costae are arranged in rows perpendicular to the colony edge and have regular, densely packed teeth which are interrupted by the numerous secondary mouths.

Tongue Mushroom Coral many secondary mouths

The white-tipped 'tentacles' along the costate septa rows are short and partially transparent. These are not true tentacles but inflated portions of the costate septa tissues. The true colony feeding tentacles are extended at night.

The Tongue Mushroom Coral grows to 50 cm, but more commonly observed around 20 - 30 cm at the dive sites around Koh Lanta.

This species may be pale or dark brown, or greenish-brown and is found on reef slopes.