Dana, 1846
Zoopilus echinatus (3)
Type species: Zoopilus echinatus Dana, 1846.
Total number of species estimated: 1
Characteristics: Corals zooxanthellate, free-living, oval, polystomatous by additional indistinct mouths around the large initial one at the centre. Maximum diameter 93 cm. Septal teeth coarse, angular, covered by unevenly distributed granulations. Corallum wall perforate; detachment scar usually absent. Costae show granulated costal spines and are echinose (Hoeksema, 1989). Colour light or dark brown.
Ecology: A rare species, most common on sheltered reef slopes in clear water.
Range: Central Indo-Pacific, from eastern Indonesia to Fiji.
Additional remarks: Resembles Sandalolitha, but is thinner and has larger septal and costal ornamentations. More oval than Halomitra. Because of its fragility, regenerated fragments (not necessarily oval) may be encountered more frequently than complete oval specimens with a distinct central mouth.
Key references: Hoeksema, 1989.