Stephanocoenia intersepta
species of cnidarian
Stephanocoenia intersepta, commonly known as blushing star coral or small eyed star coral, is a species of colonial stony corals in the family Astrocoeniidae. This coral is found in shallow waters in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The IUCN has assessed its status as being Near Threatened
Description
Stephanocoenia intersepta commonly grows in a flattened hemispherical shape. Occasionally misidentified as massive starlet coral (S. siderea), S. intersepta has large, protruding corallites as opposed to S. siderea's retracted corallites. Polyp tentacles are usually extended during the day, contributing to its cream, tan, gray, or brown color. When disturbed, these tentacles retract, changing the color of the coral and giving it the common name blushing star coral.
Distribution and habitat
This coral is found in reefs occupying the majority of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Florida Keys. Typically found between depth of 1m and 100m, it has been found as far south as the coast of Brazil.
Ecology
This coral is a zooxanthellate species, which contains single-celled dinoflagellates in its tissues. These are photosynthetic and provide the coral with 70% to 95% of its energy needs.
“Stephanocoenia intersepta” enters the record as species of cnidarian. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Stephanocoenia, intersepta and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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“Stephanocoenia intersepta” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Stephanocoenia, intersepta and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3938357. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Stephanocoenia intersepta” 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.