Balanophyllia bonaespei
{{Short description|Species of coral}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Cup coral064.jpg
| taxon = Balanophyllia bonaespei
| authority = van der Horst, 1938[http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=286903 Balanophyllia (Balanophyllia) bonaespei van der Horst, 1938] World Register of Marine Species. accessed 15 August 2012
}}
Balanophyllia bonaespei is a species of solitary cup coral, a stony coral in the family Dendrophylliidae.Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. 2010. Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa {{ISBN|978-1-77007-772-0}} It is an azooxanthellate species that does not contain symbiotic dinoflagellates in its tissues as most corals do.
Description
Cup corals are solitary hard corals which superficially resemble orange sea anemones. They grow to 1–2 cm in diameter. They have almost transparent beaded tentacles.Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-620-41639-9}}
Distribution
This species is known from Saldanha Bay to East London off the South African coast, and lives from {{convert|5|to|150|m}} under water.
Ecology
References
{{Commons category|Balanophyllia bonaespei}}
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Category:Animals described in 1938
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