Common name : honeycomb corals

Aspect : Caulastrea genus look bushy or stick-like colonies resembling sprouting cabbages; small corallites (<10 mm) with irregular, tooth-like septa; "candy cane" appearance with curved branches; pale brown coloration

Feeding : like most reef-building corals, Merulinidae rely on a mix of autotrophy and heterotrophy. They host symbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) in their tissues, which perform photosynthesis to provide the majority of nutrients (up to 90% of energy needs) during daylight hours. At night, polyps extend large tentacles to actively capture zooplankton, small drifting animals, and organic particles via nematocyst stinging cells, supplementing nutrition in low-light or nutrient-poor conditions

Environment : distribution spans the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, Indonesia (e.g., Wakatobi), Fiji, and the broader Pacific Ocean; they are absent from the Atlantic.in shallow, sunlit tropical and subtropical waters, typically at depths of 0–30 m on flat or rubble substrates