Discosoma Mushroom

Discosoma sp.

Habitat & Distribution :  Reef-associated, Indo-Pacific ocean

Diet : Photosynthesis results of zooxanthellae; small fish, invertebrates and plankton

Size: 2,5 cm - 0,3 m

Lifespan: 5 - 10 years

Description

The Discosoma mushroom anemone, or mushroom coral is a type of Corallimorph, not a true anemone, nor hard coral, but rather, their close mutual relative. Its body is soft like an anemone, with no hard skeleton, but its internal structure and stinging cells are much like a hard coral's. As their name suggests, their disc-shaped bodies resemble mushrooms. They come in bright, fluorescent colors, from red, green, yellow, blue, brown, and so on.

Behavior

Considerably passive and not big eaters, they simply trap any planktons, crustaceans or stray particles in the mucus of their oral disc, where it will be guided into the small mouth with tiny tentacles (if it's too big) or where it well be directly absorbed into the body (if they're small particles). Semi-aggressive and needs a lot of space, it can release chemicals to hinder growth of other corals or other encrusting organisms.

Reproduction

Reproduces asexually by binary fission and budding.

Communication & Perception

Like most cnidarians, they communicate using chemical cues

Predator

Angelfish, butterfly fish, sea snails, sea stars

Status Konservasi : Not Evaluated (IUCN Red List; 2025)