About Ctenactis echinata (Pallas, 1766)
Ctenactis echinata is a medium to large oval disc coral that grows to around 25 cm (10 in) long and 10 cm (4 in) wide. It has an axial furrow that runs along most of its length; it usually has just one mouth opening, though occasionally it may have more than one. Its primary septa are thick, heavily toothed, and bear large triangular teeth. Between the primary septa, there are one to five smaller, lightly toothed secondary septa. A large individual of this species can have more than a thousand septa. On the underside of the coral, the costae are poorly defined, and have long arborescent or cylindrical spines arranged in radial rows. This coral is usually pale brown in colour. Ctenactis echinata is native to the Indo-Pacific region. Its range stretches from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to China, Japan, Indonesia, and northern Australia, as well as multiple island groups in the western and central Pacific Ocean. It occurs on reef flats, reef slopes, and in lagoons, at depths down to 20 m (66 ft).
