Orange Cup Coral

A non-photosynthetic cup coral that thrives in shaded overhangs and undercuts where light-dependent corals cannot survive, opening bright orange polyps at night or in low light to capture zooplankton with its tentacles. Native to the Indo-Pacific, it has been established in the wider Caribbean since the 1940s and is now a familiar, if non-native, fixture of shaded reef habitat throughout the region.

Shaded overhangs, undercuts and wreck structure

Nocturnal polyp extension to feed on zooplankton; tolerates low light; non-native to the Caribbean