Simplastrea

Simplastrea is a monotypic genus of large polyp stony coral from the Indian Ocean. It is represented by a single species, Simplastrea vesicularis.^[2]

Simplastrea
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Subphylum:	Anthozoa
Class:	Hexacorallia
Order:	Scleractinia
Family:	Euphylliidae
Genus:	Simplastrea Umbgrove, 1939
Species:	S. vesicularis
Binomial name
Simplastrea vesicularis (Umbgrove, 1939)

Description

Colonies of Simplastrea vesicularis are flat and encrusting with circular corallites that are spaced evenly by beaded coenosteum.^[3] It has thin walls, well-developed septae that are thin and straight with inner margins forming a columella tangle.^[3] The entire surface of Simplastrea vesicularis is covered in small tentacles displaying slight extension.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

It can be found throughout the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific in the shallow waters of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia where it encrusts rock surfaces of coral reefs.^[3][4]