Orange cup coral

Orange cup coral
T. coccinea with tentacles withdrawn
Extended tentacles of T. coccinea
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Hexacorallia
Order:	Scleractinia
Family:	Dendrophylliidae
Genus:	Tubastraea
Species:	T. coccinea
Binomial name
Tubastraea coccinea Lesson, 1829
Synonyms
List Astropsammia pedersenii Verrill, 1869 Coenopsammia ehrenbergiana Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848 Coenopsammia gaimardi Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848 Coenopsammia manni Verrill, 1866 Coenopsammia radiata Verrill, 1864 Coenopsammia tenuilamellosa Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848 Coenopsammia urvillei Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848 Dendrophyllia affinis Duncan, 1889 Dendrophyllia aurantiaca Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 Dendrophyllia manni (Verrill, 1866) Dendrophyllia surcularis Verrill, 1869 Dendrophyllia turbinata Nemenzo, 1960 Lobopsammia aurea Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 Pachypsammia valida Verrill, 1866 Placopsammia darwini Duncan, 1876 Tubastaea coccinea Lesson, 1830 [lapsus] Tubastraea aurea (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833) Tubastraea tenuilamellosa (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848) Tubastrea aurea (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)

Orange cup coral (Tubastraea coccinea) belongs to a group of corals known as large-polyp stony corals. This non-reef building coral extends beautiful translucent tentacles at night.^[1] Tubastraea coccinea is heterotrophic and does not contain zooxanthellae in its tissues as many tropical corals do, allowing it to grow in complete darkness as long as it can capture enough food.