CNIDARIAN SPECIES

Video of Sanctuary Invertebrates - This includes a variety of crustaceans, mollusks, jellies, echinoderms, and worms.

All of the following cnidarians are found within the coral cap region of the sanctuary (0-130 ft, 0-40m deep). Common names are listed, if known.

Click on a link below to jump directly to a specific cnidarian category:

Anemones
Hydrocorals
Hydroids
Jellies
Stony (Hard) Corals
Tube Anemones
Zooanthids

Anemones

Common Name	Scientific Name
Pale Anemone Giant	Aiptasia pallida
Caribbean (Giant) Anemone	Condylactis gigantea
Hidden Anemone	Lebrunia coralligens
Stinging/Branching Anemone	Lebrunia danae

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Hydrocorals

Common Name	Scientific Name
Branching Fire Coral	Millepora alcicornis

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Hydroids

Common Name	Scientific Name
	Aglaophenia elongata
Feather Plume Hydroid	Aglaophenia latecarinata
	Bimeria sp.
	Bougainvillia sp.
	Clytia cylindrica
	Clytia noliformis
	Gonothyraea gracilis
	Monostaechas sp.
Sea Thread Hydroid	Obelia dichotoma
Knotted Thread Hydroid	Obelia geniculata
	Pennaria disticha
	Plumularia corrugata
	Plumularia diaphana
	Plumularia margaretta
	Sertularia dalmasi
	Sertularia mayeri
	Thyroscyphus marginatus
	Zanclea costata
	Zygophylax convallarius

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Jellies

Common Name	Scientific Name
Moon Jelly	Aurelia aurita Video
Warty Sea Wasp	Carybdaea marsupialis
Sea Nettle	Chrysaora quinquicirrha

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A pictorial Coral Guide (5MB pdf, pictured above) is also available for download and may be laminated for field work.

Coral polyps (Image: FGBNMS/Schmahl)

Stony Corals

Common Name	Scientific Name
Elkhorn Coral Threatened Species (2006) Only two (2) known colonies in the sanctuary.	Acropora palmata
Lettuce Coral	Agaricia (Undaria) agaricites
Fragile Saucer Coral	Agaricia fragilis
	Colpophyllia amaranthus
Boulder Brain Coral (close up) (young colony) (young colony) (spawning)	Colpophyllia natans
Hat/Sunray Lettuce Corall	Helioseris (Leptoseris) cucullata
Ten-ray Star Coral (polyps)	Madracis decactis
Yellow Pencil Coral	Madracis auretenra (mirabilis)
	Madracis brueggemanni
Great Star Coral (multiple colonies) (polyps extended) (close up) (new recruit)	Montastraea cavernosa
Spiny Flower Coral (close up) (individual polyp) (part dead, part alive) (skeleton)	Mussa angulosa
Diffuse Ivory Bush Coral	Oculina diffusa
Lobed Star Coral Threatened Species (2014) (O. faveolata center, O. annularis right and left)	Orbicella (Montastraea) annularis
Mountainous Star Coral Threatened Species (2014) (polyps extended)	Orbicella (Montastraea) faveolata
Boulder Star Coral Threatened Species (2014) (close up)	Orbicella (Montastraea) franksi
Mustard Hill Coral (close up)	Porites astreoides
Finger Coral	Porites furcata
Symmetrical Brain Coral	Pseudodiploria (Diploria) strigosa
Speckled Cup Coral	Rhizosmilia maculata
Artichoke Coral	Scolymia cubensis
Lesser Starlet Coral	Siderastrea radians
Massive Starlet Coral	Siderastrea siderea
Blushing Star Coral (close up)	Stephanocoenia intersepta
Orange Cup Coral Invasive Species (closed polyps)	Tubastraea coccinea

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In response to a request to list 66 species of coral under the Endangered Species Act, NOAA conducted an in-depth evaluation of each species and determined that 20 of those species should be listed as threatened. This is in addition to the original two Acropora species listed in 2006.

Among those listed are three species of star coral that are prevalent on the Flower Garden Banks reefs--Orbicella annularis, Orbicella faveolata, Orbicella franksi.

Tube Anemones

Common Name	Scientific Name
Banded Tube-dwelling Anemone	Arachnanthus nocturnus
	Calliactus tricolor

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Zooanthids

Common Name	Scientific Name
Sponge Zoanthid	Parazoanthus parasiticus
	Zoanthus sp.

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Download a List of Cnidarian Species (18kb pdf) found in the coral cap region of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.