Related FAQs: Mussids, Mussids 2, Mussid Identification, Mussid Behavior, Mussid Compatibility, Mussid Selection, Mussid Disease, Mussid Systems, Mussid Feeding, Mussid Reproduction, Stony/True Coral, Coral System Set-Up, Coral System Lighting, Stony Coral Identification, Stony Coral Selection, Coral Placement,  Foods/Feeding/Nutrition, Disease/Health, Propagation, Growing Reef Corals,  Stony Coral Behavior, Related Articles: Large Polyp Stony Corals,  Stony or True Corals, Order Scleractinia, Dyed Corals, /The Best Livestock For Your Reef Aquarium: Brain, Meat, Pineapple  Corals,  Family Mussidae, Pt. 8 To: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7,

Genus Symphyllia Milne Edwards and Haime 1848. Similar to Lobophyllias but with a groove that runs along the top of corallite walls that fuses contiguous corallites, whereas Lobos are free from each other. 

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Symphyllia agaricia Milne Edwards & Haime 1849. Thick fleshy appearance. Aquarium image.

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Symphyllia erythraea (Klunzinger 1879). Massive hemispherical colonies. Septa in two orders. Well formed columellae. Waikiki Aquarium photo.

Symphyllia radians Milne Edwards and Haime 1849. Flat to hemispherical in profile. 20-25 millimeter wide valleys. Relatively thick walls. Less twisting valleys than S. recta below. Fiji colony and close-up.

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Symphyllia recta (Dana 1846). Hemispherical to flat colonies. Small valleys (12-15mm wide), sinuous. A common coral in its range. Green to brown. A Fiji colony and a Philippine close-up.

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Mussid Compatibility:

Not entirely compatible with other Cnidarian life. Here is a battle going on in a too-tightly stocked hobbyist culture system, and amongst a Porites in the Red Sea.

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Bibliography/Further Reading:

Coral Search

Borneman, Eric H. 2001. Aquarium Corals; Selection, Husbandry and Natural History. Microcosm-TFH NJ, USA. 464 pp.

Fossa, Svein A. & Alf Jacob Nilsen. 1998 (1st ed.). The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium, v.2 (Cnidarians). Bergit Schmettkamp Verlag, Bornheim, Germany. 479pp.

Gutierrez, Santiago. 1992. From a reef's point of view. Mussa angulosa. FAMA 3/92.

Hoover, John. 1998. Hawai'i's Sea Creatures. A Guide to Hawai'i's Marine Invertebrates. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu HI. 366pp. 

Humann, Paul. 1993. Reef Coral Identification; Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. New World Publications, Inc. Jacksonville, FL.  239pp.

McDowell, Mark & Greg Smith. 2001. Meat Coral (Cynarina lacrymalis)- Where's the beef? FAMA 7/01.

Vargas, Tony. 1998. Feature Coral column: Cynarina. FAMA 7/98. 

Veron, J.E.N. 1986. Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific. U. of HI press, Honolulu. 644 pp. 

Veron, J.E.N. 2000. Corals of the World. Australian Institute of Marine Science. Queensland, Australia. three volumes. 

To: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7,