Discosoma

Discosoma
	A red mushroom coral
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Subphylum:	Anthozoa
Class:	Hexacorallia
Order:	Corallimorpharia
Family:	Discosomidae
Genus:	Discosoma; Rüppell & Leuckart, 1828
Species
	See text
Synonyms
	Actinodiscus de Blainville, 1830;

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

"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.
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.

[1] "Discosoma Rüppell and Leuckart, 1828". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2011-12-18.

[2] Blainville, H. M. D. (1830). Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles (in French). Vol. 60. Strasbourg and Paris: F. G. Levrault. p. 287.

[3] Harmin, Cha (2007). Systematics of the order Corallimorpharia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). University of Kansas. pp. 83–85. ISBN 978-0-549-13246-2.

[sprung-4] Sprung, J. Aquarium Invertebrates: Mushrooms, Elephants Ears, And False Corals: A Review Of The Corallimorpharia. Advanced Aquarist Volume 1. October 2002.

[5] Lambert, Talley. "dTomato at FPbase". FPbase. Retrieved 2019-03-27.

[worms-6] 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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