Orange Cup Coral

An azooxanthellate coral, T. coccinea is composed of colonies made up of calcareous cups clumps adjoined to a spongy calcareous base. A calcareous wall referred to as the corallite encircles each single polyp and is capable of reaching over 11 mm in diameter. White with faint ribs, the coralite skeleton is somewhat separated by 48 septa which peer into the organism's body cavity and are arranged in a cycle like structure around the coralite center. Interestingly, at the center of the coralitel exists at a significant columella skeletal projection. As per its name, T. coccinea's polyps are red, composed of yellow-orange tentacles.

Orange cup coral (Tubastraea coccinea), an ahermatypic coral, is found in various habitats, natural and man-made. Because it is an azooxanthellate coral with no symbiotic algae, it can exist in low-light conditions. Tubastraea coccinea inhabits shaded vertical surfaces and caverns down to huge depths. T. coccinea are also found in very cold water throughout the world. In its native habitat in the Indo-Pacific, T. coccinea inhabits shaded vertical rock faces, caves, and under overhangs in shallow water. Its growth potential under complete darkness lets it occupy more photosynthetically disadvantageous niches. Orange-cup corals often dominate tropical habitats not occupied by other coral species, such as wrecks and cryptic reef habitats. They also colonize artificial structures. T.

Tubastraea coccinea utilizes several behaviors to become ecologically dominant and invasive. Its feeding behavior is one of them. T. coccinea lacks symbiotic algae and feeds heterotrophically. At night, it uses its transparent-colored tentacles to capture zooplankton of the surrounding environment to feed on. The ability to feed at night allows it to survive in low-light habitats where other corals cannot. T. coccinea is also aggressive when fighting for space with other sea creatures. They create many colonies that settle close to one another to occupy areas completely. They can also occupy vacant habitats, such as wrecks and reef habitats, that other organisms cannot.

Orange Cup Coral, Tubastraea coccinea, can reproduce both sexually and asexually. The ability to reproduce in multiple ways may assist this species in invading and adapting to new environments. This coral has both male and female gonads within a single polyp. During reproduction, the coral releases sperm into the water column. Within this water column is where the eggs are kept within the gastrovascular cavity of the polyp. As a result, fertilization occurs internally, resulting in planula larvae. The free-swimming planktonic larvae survive for as many as 14 days. Because of this, they are able to travel far distances and get dispersed before becoming settled on a suitable substrate, where they then continue to develop, giving rise to new polyps. Orange-cup corals, however, can also reproduce asexually as well through what is referred to as budding.

Semi-submersible platforms serve as a major contributor to the spread of T. coccinea. Rather, T. coccinea have been known to affix themselves to long distance ships and release themselves upon reaching an optimal temperature range. As human trade routes continue to expand, T. coccinea invasions are likely to expand which presses the need for better control methods. While few natural attempts to rid T. coccinea have been successful, synthesized compounds may offer an alternative approach. Recently, the naturally synthetic compound, 1-hydroxy-2-O-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine has shown some promise. According to a 2022 study, this synthesized compound was able to eliminate roughly 35% to 3% of invasive cup coral larvae with the average lethal concentration being 142.2 μg/mL. Other chemical control methods have been proposed.