Balanophyllia europaea, commonly known as the solitary madrepora, Scarlet Coral is a coral mother of the Dendrophylliidae family. Madrepora Solitaria Scarlet Coral Balanophyllia europaea intotheblue.it
Habitat and distribution Common on hard bottoms, up to about 40 meters deep. Endemic of the Mediterranean Sea.
Description Non-colonial species, it has the typical squashed basket shape in the central part, usually larger than tall, light brown in color, from which 48 tentacles protrude. It lives in symbiosis with zooxanthellae. It grows up to 3 centimeters in diameter.