Corynactis

Corynactis is a genus of colonial anthozoans similar in appearance to sea anemones and in body format to scleractinian stony corals. These animals are cnidarians in the family Corallimorphidae. A species thought to belong to this genus feed on the crown-of-thorns seastar Acanthaster planci and may help control the crown-of-thorns population, but these are now known as Paracorynactis hoplites.

Species

Species so far described in this genus include:

Corynactis, like other corals in the phylum Corallimorpharia, depend highly on their production of zooxanthellae and numerous animals which find themselves trapped by the oral disk as benthic invertebrates, crustaceans, worms, echinoderms and even fishes. They are very aggressive eaters, which allows for them to feed on larger particles in the water column.