Question

Common name of Fungia is
A. Mushroom coral
B. Red coral
C. Brain coral
D. Organ pipe coral

Answer 1

Fungia is a genus of corals of the Fungiidae family. Corals are invertebrates of the class Anthozoa in phylum Cnidaria. They are found in marine water and live in compact colonies.

Complete answer:
Genus Fungia has a single species in it i.e., Fungia fungites, thus is monotypic. It is found growing in the Indo-Pacific region (on the reefs). Earlier 30 species were kept under this genus but later it was reduced to only one. They feed on planktonic organisms, food particles from the water, and are also able to absorb the organic matter present in dissolved form. Their corals are solitary. When they are immature (young), they get attached to the rocks, and when they grow and mature fully get detached. They have a central round or oval mouth surrounded by many tentacles. The polyp is present in a cup-like structure (known as corallite) made up of calcium carbonate. The body morphology of Fungia resembles mushrooms, thus they are commonly known as mushroom corals as well.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Additional information:
Corals mostly include reef builders which secrete calcium carbonate and form a hard skeleton. Their polyp is very small in size (only a few millimeters in diameter and few centimeters in height) having a sac-like structure. They have tentacles around their central opening of the mouth. They form an exoskeleton near their base. Corals are groups of genetically identical polyps and grow through asexual reproduction, but can also breed sexually through spawning. However, Fungia reproduces asexually only producing daughter colonies formed from the broken pieces, and shows regeneration.

Note: Fungia is seen in a variety of colors including white, yellow, blue, purple, red, and pink, and are used in the reef aquarium for decorations.