Fungia sp. (mushroom, or disk coral)
(Phylum Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Scleractinia. See Overview of Cnidarian Diversity)
This is a large-polyped stony coral that rests freely on the sand. The entire disk-shaped coral is made up of a single large polyp that looks as though it has been stretched thin over the hard limestone skeleton. Its tentacles are highly reduced and scattered over the coral's upper surface.
This coral has a single large mouth in the center of the top of the disk, and it feeds readily on bits of shrimp, clam, or squid (fed to the fish) that land on it. Bits of food are moved slowly to the mouth by cilia that cover the coral's surface. It also has symbiotic zooxanthellae within its tissues that provide for much of its energy needs.