Common name : mushroom coral, tongue coral

Aspect : circular to oval in outline, flat and thick or strongly arched, up to 20 cm in diameter. The upper side has septal teeth in the form of radial blades. The underside has small spikes between the radial ridges. Generally brown color. Able to move and right itself if returned

Feeding : autotrophic feeding (primary) and heterotrophic feeding (supplementary). Primarily, they rely on photosynthesis from symbiotic dinoflagellate algae (zooxanthellae) living within their tissues, which provide up to 90% of their nutritional needs through sunlight. They supplement this by actively capturing zooplankton and other small particles using the tentacles of their polyps, especially at night when polyps extend fully

Environment : in the tropical and subtropical Indo-West Pacific, spanning from the east coast of Africa to the west coast of the Americas, with highest diversity in the Coral Triangle (e.g., Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea) on shallow to moderately deep coral reefs (typically 1-30 m, often 9-18 m on lower slopes) in sand, coral rubble, silt, or muddy bottoms