Orange Cup Coral

Orange cup coral or sun coral (Tubastrea faulkneri) is a large polyp stony coral (LPS) from the family Dendrophyliidae. The name Tubastrea is broken down from Latin: tubus, meaning tube, and astron, meaning star. The name likely reflects the skeletal structure of the coral, which is like a tube, and the polyp at the tip which is shaped somewhat like a star. Often in the wild you will find orange cup or sun corals upside down near the entrances of caves or within sunken ships. This position serves two purposes in that it helps the animal trap planktonic food and also prevents debris such as sand from accumulating on the coral.