---
title: Black Sun Coral (Tubastraea micranthus)
scientific_name: Tubastraea micranthus
common_name: Black Sun Coral
taxon: Hard corals
published: 2024-08-01T14:26:34.196Z
updated: 2026-08-14T11:57:50.728Z
tags: Black Sun Coral, Tubastraea micranthus, Hard corals, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/invertebrate/stinging/hard-corals/black-sun-coral
---

# Black Sun Coral (*Tubastraea micranthus*)

## Quick facts

- **Group:** Hard corals (*Scleractinia*)
- **Size:** 1-2 cm (polyp diameter)
- **Depth:** 5-40 m
- **Diet:** Planktivore
- **Activity:** Cathemeral
- **Rarity:** Occasional
- **Habitat:** Reef overhangs, caves, deep crevices in shaded, low-light environments
- **Reproduction:** Broadcast spawner, Budding
- **CITES:** Appendix II

## How to recognise it

- dense, bushy colonies
- dark green to black polyps
- polyp diameter 1-2 cm
- tentacles arranged radially

Tubastraea micranthus, known as the Black Sun Coral, forms dense, bushy colonies often exceeding 1 meter (3.3 ft) in diameter. Its robust polyps, dark green to black, extend fully and can reach 1 to 2 cm (0.4-0.8 in) in diameter. Each polyp has numerous tentacles arranged radially, giving them a flower-like appearance. The genus name Tubastraea refers to the tubular shape of its corallites. Its common name "Sun Coral" refers to the radial arrangement of tentacles which can resemble a sunburst, though T. micranthus lacks the typical yellow and orange colours of its relatives.

This azooxanthellate coral lacks symbiotic algae and therefore inhabits shaded, low-light environments. It commonly attaches to reef overhangs, inside caves, and in deep crevices, typically at depths of 5 to 40 meters (16-130 ft). As a heterotrophic feeder, it captures plankton and other small particles from the water column with its extended polyps, which are usually open during the day and night. Its presence provides habitat and shelter for various small marine creatures, including fish and invertebrates. However, when established in dense colonies, it can be competitive and sometimes overshadow other coral species.

Reproduction occurs both sexually, through the release of gametes into the water column, and asexually, via budding. Asexual budding allows new polyps to form directly from the parent, contributing to the growth of large, contiguous colonies.

## Also known as

- **English:** black cup coral, black sun coral, black tube coral
- **German:** Schwarze Kelchkoralle
- **Russian:** Тубастрея зеленая

## Scientific synonyms

- *Coenopsammia aequiserialis* Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848
- *Coenopsammia micranthus* (Ehrenberg, 1834)
- *Coenopsammia nigrescens* (Dana, 1846)
- *Coenopsammia viridis* Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848
- *Dendrophyllia aequiserialis* (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848)
- *Dendrophyllia equiserialis* (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848)
- *Dendrophyllia micrantha* (Ehrenberg, 1834)
- *Dendrophyllia micrantha var. grandis* Crossland, 1952
- *Dendrophyllia micranthus* (Ehrenberg, 1834)
- *Dendrophyllia micranthus var. grandis* Crossland, 1952
- *Dendrophyllia nigrescens* Dana, 1846
- *Dendrophyllia viridis* Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848
- *Enallopsammia micranthus* (Ehrenberg, 1834)
- *Oculina micranthus* Ehrenberg, 1834
- *Tubastraea micrantha* (Ehrenberg, 1834)
- *Tubastrea micrantha* (Ehrenberg, 1834)

## Range

South Pacific Ocean

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*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/invertebrate/stinging/hard-corals/black-sun-coral)*
*Updated: August 14, 2026*