Isophyllia sinuosa
species of stony coral in the family Mussidae
Isophyllia sinuosa, the sinuous cactus coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Mussidae. It is found in shallow water in the tropical western Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea.
Description and habitat
Isophyllia sinuosa is a massive coral that forms hemispherical or dome-shaped mounds up to 20 cm (8 in) across. On the coral surface there are shallow, meandering valleys about 22 mm (0.9 in) wide separated by convoluted ridges topped with a central, pale-coloured line. The polyps are large and are situated in the valleys, often in groups of three. Although they are usually retracted into their corallites by day, they are unable to retract completely, giving the coral a fleshy feel when touched. The septa that radiate from the corallites are spiny. At night, when the polyps are fully extended, the coral has a fuzzy appearance. The ridges and valleys are usually made up of contrasting colours. These combinations include green/yellow, green/blue, purplish-blue/white and two shades of brown.
“Isophyllia sinuosa” enters the record as species of stony coral in the family Mussidae. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Isophyllia, sinuosa and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3155601. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Isophyllia sinuosa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.