Torch coral
Large-polyped stony coral with long sweeper tentacles.
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Euphyllia glabrescens, commonly known as the torch coral, is a species of large-polyped stony coral in the family Euphylliidae. It is widely distributed across the Indo-Pacific, though it is rare in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and uncommon in other regions including the northern Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, central Indo-Pacific, Australia, Southeast Asia, southern Japan, the East China Sea, Micronesia, and American Samoa. The species is notable in the marine aquarium hobby for its long sweeper tentacles tipped with potent cnidocytes.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumCnidaria
- SubphylumAnthozoa
- ClassHexacorallia
- OrderScleractinia
- FamilyEuphylliidae
- GenusEuphyllia
- SpeciesEuphyllia glabrescens
Named by Chamisso & Eysenhardt, 1821
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Euphyllia glabrescens (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 207617 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
- LC▲ this species
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.03 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Euphyllia glabrescens
Where the torch coral has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (747 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 25 inland records left out (institution coordinates). 6 isolated far-off records not drawn.
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Background
Euphyllia glabrescens is a colonial coral with a phaceloid formation of corallites 20–30 millimeters in diameter and spaced 15–30 millimeters apart. Its walls are thin with sharp edges, and the polyps have large tubular tentacles with knob-like tips. The coral can be a number of colors and is often bicolored with contrasting tentacles and polyp tips.
This species is widely distributed but rare in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and uncommon through the northern Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia, Southeast Asia, southern Japan and the East China Sea, Micronesia, and American Samoa. It is found at depths of 1 to 35 meters in a wide range of reef environments. Its behavior includes the use of long sweeper tentacles tipped with potent cnidocytes, which are used for defense and competition.
More in Stony Corals
Elsewhere in Reef Aquarium Species
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Euphyllia glabrescens (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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