Discosoma
| Discosoma | |
|---|---|
| |
| A red mushroom coral | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Corallimorpharia |
| Family: | Discosomidae |
| Genus: | Discosoma Rüppell & Leuckart, 1828[1] |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
Discosoma is a genus of cnidarians in the order Corallimorpharia. Common names for the genus include mushroom anemone, disc anemone and elephant ear mushroom.[4]
Most species are disc-shaped and produce large amounts of mucus.[4] There are a great variety of colors, including metallic and fluorescent shades and striped and spotted patterns.[4] Discosoma gather food particles from the water. Some species absorb nutrients produced by zooxanthellae, photosynthetic dinoflagellates living in their tissues in a symbiotic relationship.[4]
Some species are sold commercially in the aquarium trade.[4]
The red fluorescent protein dTomato which has applications in molecular biology as a reporter protein was first derived from the species.[5]
There are approximately 11 recognized species:[6]
- Discosoma album
- Discosoma carlgreni – Forked-tentacle corallimorpharian
- Discosoma dawydoffi
- Discosoma fowleri
- Discosoma fungiforme
- Discosoma molle
- Discosoma neglecta – Umbrella corallimorpharian
- Discosoma nummiforme
- Discosoma rubraoris
- Discosoma unguja
- Discosoma viridescens
References
[edit]- ^ "Discosoma Rüppell and Leuckart, 1828". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
- ^ de Blainville, H. M. D. (1830). Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles (in French). Vol. 60. Strasbourg and Paris: F. G. Levrault. p. 287.
- ^ Harmin, Cha (2007). Systematics of the order Corallimorpharia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). University of Kansas. pp. 83–85. ISBN 978-0-549-13246-2.
- ^ a b c d e Sprung, J. Aquarium Invertebrates: Mushrooms, Elephants Ears, And False Corals: A Review Of The Corallimorpharia. Advanced Aquarist Volume 1. October 2002.
- ^ Lambert, Talley. "dTomato at FPbase". FPbase. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
- ^ Fautin, D. G. (2013). Discosoma. World List of Corallimorpharia. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) on 18 March 2018.
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