Acanthophyllia deshayesiana Propagation Guide
How the solitary meat coral Acanthophyllia deshayesiana reproduces: why this single-polyp species is rarely fragged and propagates mainly by natural budding and broadcast spawning.
Overview
Acanthophyllia deshayesiana (Michelin, 1850) is a large polyp stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae, traded as the meat or doughnut coral. According to the World Register of Marine Species, the genus Acanthophyllia (Wells, 1937) was held within Cynarina before being recognised again as valid when Acanthophyllia deshayesiana was separated from Cynarina lacrymalis in 2016. It is a solitary, free-living coral built around a single mouth surrounded by a heavy fleshy mantle.
Reproductive Mode
As a single-polyp coral, Acanthophyllia does not build a colony by dividing into many corallites the way meandering brain corals do. In aquaria it is therefore propagated only through slow natural budding and tissue regeneration around its single skeleton, while population-level reproduction in the wild occurs through sexual spawning.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Reef Builders notes that single-polyp corals such as meat corals, Scolymia and Fungia resist conventional fragging because there is no shared wall between separate polyps to cut along. Deliberately sectioning a solitary meat coral means cutting straight through the one polyp, which is high risk; for this reason it is generally left intact and allowed to bud or regenerate on its own rather than being sawn.
Conditions for Propagation
Recovery of any cut or naturally divided tissue is favoured by stable parameters. During the period when tissue is healing, Reef Builders recommends basting mucus gently off the coral and keeping water motion low so the fleshy mantle is not torn. Calm flow and clean, stable water give the polyp the best chance to re-skin exposed skeleton.
Sexual Reproduction
Like other stony corals in its family, Acanthophyllia reproduces sexually by releasing gametes into the water column, where fertilisation produces free-swimming planula larvae that settle and form new single polyps. This broadcast pathway, rather than fragmentation, is the natural route by which new individuals are created on the reef.
Common Challenges
The fleshy mantle is easily damaged, and because the animal is a single polyp any tissue injury threatens the whole coral. Rapid swelling and deflation make handling delicate, and recessed tissue or a torn mantle can quickly progress if water quality is poor. Avoid unnecessary handling and protect the soft tissue from sharp rock and strong flow.