Common name: Mushroom Coral

General information

Rhodactis osculifera, commonly known as the Mushroom Coral or Elephant Ear Mushroom, is a species of corallimorph that resembles true stony corals but lacks a calcium carbonate skeleton. These corals are appreciated for their ease of care, variety of colors, and the unique, fleshy appearance they bring to the reef aquarium.

Care

Mushroom Corals are hardy and adaptable, making them suitable for beginners. They thrive in low to moderate lighting and water flow, which helps to prevent sediment from settling on their surface. Rhodactis osculifera can reproduce asexually through pedal laceration, where new mushrooms form from pieces of the foot detached from the parent organism.

Symbiosis

While Rhodactis osculifera does not have the same type of symbiotic relationship with fish as anemones do with clownfish, they can provide a microhabitat for small invertebrates and may host zooxanthellae, symbiotic algae that provide nutrients through photosynthesis.

Habitat

In the wild, Rhodactis osculifera is found on reef slopes and lagoons, often in areas with soft substrates. They are distributed across the Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea to the Western Pacific.