Fungia scruposa
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| Fungia scruposa | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Anthozoa |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Fungiidae |
| Genus: | Fungia |
| Species: | F. scruposa |
| Binomial name | |
| Fungia scruposa Klunzinger, 1879[1] |
|
Fungia scruposa is a species of coral that is the first to have been observed to eat jellyfish. [2] They are around 25 centimetres (9.8 in) in diameter and normally eat a variety of food from bacteria to mesozooplankton measuring 1 mm in diameter. During an algal bloom in 2009 researchers observed the coral consuming the jellyfish Aurelia aurita. This was the first time such behaviour has been seen in the wild. It is not known how the coral manages to capture the jellyfish in the first place.[3] This coral is unusual in that it consists of a single polyp up to 25 centimetres (9.8 in) across. It may have caught the jellyfish with its tentacles in the same way as some sea anemones feed on other jellyfish species.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ WoRMS (2010). "Fungia scruposa Klunzinger, 1879". World Register of Marine Species. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=207340. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
- ^ a b Bourton, Jody (13 November 2009). "Predatory coral eats jellyfish". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8350000/8350972.stm. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
- ^ "Opportunistic feeding by the fungiid coral Fungia scruposa on the moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita". Coral Reefs 28 (4). December 2009. doi:10.1007/s00338-009-0507-7.
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