page_title: Caryophyllia smithii
section_title: Ecology
hierarchical_section_title: Caryophyllia smithii / Ecology
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Caryophyllia smithii - Banyuls-sur-Mer, Sec de Rédéris&#160;: 08/85
context_page_description: Caryophyllia smithii, the Devonshire cup coral, is a species of solitary coral in the family Caryophylliidae. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. There are shallow and deep-water forms which are structurally different. It forms part of a biodiverse community of rock encrusting organisms and is often parasitised by a barnacle.
context_section_description: The habitat of Caryophyllia smithii is often dominated by sponges and bryozoans and these also grow on the corallum of the coral. The larvae of the barnacle Megatrema anglicum often settle near the rim of the corallum where they appear to be immune to the coral's nematocysts. They become attached to the stony material and the coral's epithelium overgrows them except for their operculums. A single coral may be colonised by multiple barnacles and these have a tendency to aggregate on one particular part of the coral, often the lower side when corals are growing on vertical surfaces. The presence of these barnacles is semi-parasitic as the coral's tentacles retract when they come into contact with the barnacle's cirri (feeding appendages), and this hampers its food-gathering activities.
caption: In natural habitat
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