Euphyllia
Euphyllia is a genus of Indo-Pacific hard corals, with separate corallites and simple polyps, always extended by day. 1 4 After the 2017 revision many species famous in the aquarium hobby, such as ancora, divisa and paradivisa, moved to the genus Fimbriaphyllia. 2 3 The type species of the genus is E. glabrescens. 4
At a glance
Data from the scientific sources listed at the bottom.
Depth in the wild
1–35 m
Size
up to 100 cm
usual maximum diameter in E. glabrescens, not for the whole genus
Conservation
IUCN Red List: not evaluated. CITES: Appendix II. The category refers to the genus as a whole: there is no single assessment. E. glabrescens is Least Concern (assessment of 27 October 2023), while E. baliensis is Endangered (13 April 2024). 6 7 For E. glabrescens the CITES listing in force dates back to 18 January 1990, and in the European Union it is in Annex B. 5
Where it lives
The genus lives on the reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Arabian Sea and East Africa to the Marshall Islands in the north and to Tonga and American Samoa in the south. 4 For E. glabrescens Species+ also lists Israel and Djibouti, that is, the Red Sea. 5 E. paraglabrescens is known only from Japan and E. baliensis only from Bali. 3
The coral
Group: LPS
Growth form: phaceloid colonies, that is with separate corallites; calice more than 6 mm high and more than 15 mm wide 4
Zooxanthellae: yes
Life in the wild
Where it is found
The figures concern only E. glabrescens: 1-35 m in the global range of Carpenter et al., 3-20 m in the work of Titlyanov and Latypov. 8 10 11 It can be common in sheltered lagoons and on reef slopes; it forms dome-shaped colonies, usually under 1 m. 6 E. baliensis, on the other hand, was found on moderate slopes with strong currents and frequent upwellings of cold water. 7
Behaviour
The polyps always stay extended during the day, as in Fimbriaphyllia. 4
Reproduction
E. glabrescens is a hermaphrodite and broods its larvae in the polyps. 3 In Nanwan Bay, in Taiwan, the larvae were released throughout the day, usually with two peaks: early in the morning and at night. 9 The sexuality and reproduction of E. cristata, E. paraglabrescens and E. baliensis are not known. 3
In the aquarium
From the experience of the BallingMania community.
Corals of the genus Euphyllia belong to the family Euphylliidae. There are several species; among the best known are Euphyllia ancora, Euphyllia parancora, Euphyllia divisa, Euphyllia paradivisa and Euphyllia glabrescens.
The colouring of this magnificent coral ranges from various shades of green to yellow, then to red, pink and light brown.
Place of origin: this type of coral is very widespread in almost all tropical seas, in particular the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and the Red Sea.
In the wild it forms large colonies, even several metres across; with their long extended polyps they catch plankton.
Keeping it in the aquarium requires particular attention to water values, balanced calcium, alkalinity and magnesium and low nutrients. It does not like strong, direct light, so it should be placed in the middle-to-lower area of the aquarium, with gentle water movement alternating with periods of slightly stronger current to remove any sediment that might settle inside it.
Watch out for pests and nudibranchs, which could damage it irreparably. A strongly stinging animal: it must not be placed near other corals.
Photo by Ciro Murino, text by Massimo Ramognino
Did you know?
Sources
- Hoeksema B.W., Cairns S., Samimi-Namin K. (2026). Euphyllia Dana, 1846. World List of Scleractinia, via WoRMS.
- Hoeksema B.W., Cairns S., Samimi-Namin K. (2026). Fimbriaphyllia Veron & Pichon, 1980. World List of Scleractinia, via WoRMS.
- Luzon K.S., Lin M.-F., Ablan Lagman M.C.A., Licuanan W.R.Y., Chen C.A. (2017). Resurrecting a subgenus to genus: molecular phylogeny of Euphyllia and Fimbriaphyllia (order Scleractinia; family Euphyllidae; clade V). PeerJ.
- Arrigoni R., Stolarski J., Terraneo T.I., Hoeksema B.W., Berumen M.L., Payri C., Montano S., Benzoni F. (2023). Phylogenetics and taxonomy of the scleractinian coral family Euphylliidae. Contributions to Zoology, record on Plazi.
- UNEP-WCMC (2026). Euphyllia glabrescens, CITES listings and distribution. Species+.
- Palomares M.L.D., Pauly D. (eds.) (2026). Euphyllia glabrescens, Brain trumpet coral. SeaLifeBase.
- Palomares M.L.D., Pauly D. (eds.) (2026). Euphyllia baliensis. SeaLifeBase.
- Madin J. et al. (eds.) (2026). Euphyllia glabrescens. Coral Trait Database.
- Fan T.Y., Lin K.H., Kuo F.W., Soong K., Liu L.L., Fang L.S. (2006). Diel patterns of larval release by five brooding scleractinian corals. Marine Ecology Progress Series.
- Titlyanov E.A., Latypov Y.Y. (1991). Light-dependence in scleractinian distribution in the sublittoral zone of South China Sea Islands. Coral Reefs, reference in the Coral Trait Database.
- Carpenter K.E., Abrar M., Aeby G. et al. (2008). One-third of reef-building corals face elevated extinction risk from climate change and local impacts. Science, reference in the Coral Trait Database.
- LaJeunesse T.C., Pettay D.T., Sampayo E.M. et al. (2010). Long-standing environmental conditions, geographic isolation and host-symbiont specificity influence the relative ecological dominance and genetic diversification of coral endosymbionts in the genus Symbiodinium. Journal of Biogeography, reference in the Coral Trait Database.
Sources checked on 5 November 2026. Community texts and ratings are kept separate from the scientific data.
