Fauna
Invertebrate

Common Mushroom Coral

Fungia fungites

Also known as Mushroom Coral, Plate Coral, Disc Coral

Common mushroom corals begin life attached to hard reef substrate on a narrow stalk before breaking free to live as solitary, mobile discs on sandy or rubbly seabeds. Unlike colonial corals that share tissue across hundreds of tiny polyps, this animal consists of a single massive polyp sitting atop a heavily ribbed limestone skeleton. If flipped upside down by heavy swell or grazing fish, it inflates its body with water and secretes sheets of mucus to steadily right itself within hours.

MarineSolitaryReef Dwelling
Common Mushroom Coral reference
Zarinah Waheed, Francesca Benzoni, Sancia E. T. van der Meij, Tullia Isotta Terraneo, Bert W. Hoeksema / CC BY 4.0 · cc-by
—observations
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Near ThreatenedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNear ThreatenedRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyZooplankton, Dissolved organic matter, Microscopic invertebrates
Predators
  • Crown-of-thorns Starfish
  • Parrotfish
  • Pufferfish
ThreatsOcean warming and coral bleaching, sedimentation, collection for the marine aquarium trade
HabitatsTropical coral reefs, sandy reef flats, and rubble slopes
Life spanSeveral decades
Classification
  1. FamilyFungiidae
  2. SpeciesFungia fungites
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Safe to observe at a normal distance; avoid touching to prevent damage to delicate living tissue.
What to notice
Look for a flat, circular to oval stony disc up to 30 cm across with deep, tooth-edged ridges radiating from a central slit mouth.
Support conservation
Observe entirely hands-off while diving or snorkeling; avoid kicking sand over the polyps or touching their delicate surface.
Responsible observation
  • Look For Movement: Search sandy channels beside patch reefs for unattached, saucer-like discs.
  • Maintain Buoyancy: Hover gently above the sea floor without fin-kicking sediment onto its living flesh.
  • Never Collect: Leave skeletons and living polyps where they lie to sustain reef biodiversity.
Related species
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