Home > Corals > Fire Corals & Hydrocorals

Updated 9/18/2021

Class Hydrozoa

Family Milleporidae

Milleporid Fire corals are tropical, reef-building hydroids with hard skeletons and embedded zooxanthellae.  They differ from stony corals in having a smooth surface and tiny pores with thin hairs that deliver painful stings.  Reproduction involves a free-living medusa stage.  Colonies are especially common in shallow water with good circulation.  None occur in Hawaii.

Stylasterid Hydrocorals are essentially diminutive Fire corals lacking zooxanthellae that thrive in shaded or very deep waters.

All coral skeletons illustrated are from scientific collections taken prior to 1998.

 

INDO-PACIFIC

Millepora dichotoma

 

BRANCHING FIRE CORAL

 

Millepora platyphylla

BLADE FIRE CORAL

 


WESTERN ATLANTIC

Millepora alcicornis

 

BRANCHING FIRE CORAL

 

Millepora complanata

BLADE FIRE CORAL

 



Family Stylasteridae 

INDO-PACIFIC

Stylaster spp.

 HYDROCORAL

 

Distichopora spp.

HYDROCORAL

 


WESTERN ATLANTIC

Stylaster roseus

ROSE LACE CORAL