Caryophylliidae is a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of stony corals. In addition to the tropics they are also found in temperate seas and in very deep water.

The coral colonies are often composed of only a few polyp

Polyp

A polyp in zoology is one of two forms found in the phylum Cnidaria, the other being the medusa. Polyps are approximately cylindrical in shape and elongated at the axis of the body...

s, especially in Catalaphyllia jardinei, living on sandy land in partly cloudy water, associated with partner shrimp

Shrimp

Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...

s of the genus Periclimenes

Periclimenes

The genus Periclimenes contains a large number of species of shrimp that live symbiotically with larger animals, most commonly sea anemones, though some corals, sea stars, sea cucumbers and, in the case of the imperial shrimp, P...

. This family has very large coral polyps with long tentacles, so it can be easily confused with a sea anemone.

Genera

• Anomocora Studer, 1878
• Asterosmilia Duncan, 1867
• Aulocyathus Marenzeller, 1904
• Bathycyathus Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848
• Bourneotrochus Wells, 1984
• Caryophyllia Lamarck, 1801
• Catalaphyllia Wells, 1971
• Ceratotrochus Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848
• Cladocora Ehrenberg, 1834
• Coenocyathus Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848
• Coenosmilia De Pourtalès, 1874
• Colangia De Pourtalès, 1871
• Concentrotheca Cairns, 1979
• Confluphyllia Zibrowius & Cairns, 1997
• Conotrochus Sequenza, 1864
• Crispatotrochus Woods, 1878
• Dactylotrochus Wells, 1954
• Dasmosmilia De Pourtalès, 1880
• Deltocyathus Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848
• DesmophyllumEhrenberg, 1834
• Ericiocyathus Zibrowius & Cairns, 1997
• Euphyllia
  Euphyllia
  Euphyllia is a genus of large-polyped stony coral. Several species are commonly found in marine aquariums. The genus includes the following species:* Euphyllia ancora - Hammer coral* Euphyllia cristata - Grape coral...
  
  Dana, 1846
• Goniocorella Yabe & Eguchi, 1932
• Heterocyathus Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848
• Hoplangia Gosse, 1860
• Labyrinthocyathus Cairns, 1979
• Lochmaeotrochus Alcock, 1902
• Lophelia Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1849
• Nomlandia Durham & Barnard, 1952
• Oxysmilia Duchassaing, 1870
• ParaconotrochusCairns & Parker, 1992
• Paracyathus Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848
• Phacelocyathus Cairns, 1979
• Phyllangia Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848
• Polycyathus Duncan, 1876
• Pourtalosmilia Duncan, 1884
• Premocyathus Yabe & Eguchi, 1942
• Rhizosmilia Cairns, 1978
• Solenosmilia Duncan, 1873
• Stephanocyathus Sequenza, 1864
• Sympodangia Zibrowius & Cairns, 1997
• Tethocyathus Kuhn, 1933
• Thalamophyllia Duchassaing, 1870
• Trochocyathus Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1848
• Vaughanella Gravier, 1915

Literature

• SA Fossa & AJ Nilsen:'Coral Reef Aquarium, Volume 4, Birgit Schmettkamp Verlag, Bornheim, ISBN 3928819054