Spiny flower coral
Mussa angulosa
(Pallas, 1766)
Description:
Colonies consist of large fleshy polyps, with a rough, blemished texture. Although the polyps are well separated on the tips of a branched structure, their expanded fleshy tissues press against adjacent individuals so tightly that an overall colony appears as a solid mound.
Color:
Colonies in shades of gray, but may have tints of green, blue or even fluorescent reddish orange or pink.
Corallites:
Corallites 4.5-7 cm in diameter, with 6-9 septa per cm. Septa unequal in thickness, with large and prominent septal teeth. Columella trabecular and discontinuous between the corallite centers, although there is a trabecular linkage between the centers.
Habitat:
Inhabit most reef environments, down to over 50 m.
Distribution:
Common to occasional Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean.