Simplastrea is a monotypic genus of large polyp stony coral from the Indian Ocean. It is represented by a single species, Simplastrea vesicularis.[2]
Colonies of Simplastrea vesicularis are flat and encrusting with circular corallites that are spaced evenly by beaded coenosteum.[3] It has thin walls, well-developed septae that are thin and straight with inner margins forming a columella tangle.[3] The entire surface of Simplastrea vesicularis is covered in small tentacles displaying slight extension.[3]
It can be found throughout the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific in the shallow waters of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia where it encrusts rock surfaces of coral reefs.[3][4]
Simplastrea is a monotypic genus of large polyp stony coral from the Indian Ocean. It is represented by a single species, Simplastrea vesicularis.
