Question

The anthozoan coral called blue coral is
A. Fungia
B. Meandrina
C. Heliopora
D. Favia

Answer 1

Hint:- With over 6,000 existing species divided between nine orders and classified into two subclasses, Anthozoa is the largest class in the phylum Cnidaria. The class Anthozoa includes corals, anemones, sea pens and sea fans within the phylum Cnidaria.

Complete answer:
In the Fungiidae family, Fungia is a genus of corals. The single species Fungia fungites, which is found growing on reefs in the Indo-Pacific, is monotypic. Fungia fungites are mostly solitary corals, some reaching a diameter of 30 centimetres. The minors are bound to rock, but larger persons are removed and become free. They are found in different bright colours, such as white, pink , red, purple, blue and yellow, and are popular with reef aquarium keepers. Meandrina is a colonial stony coral genus of the Meandrinidae family. Corals form huge hemispherical heads in this genus or have large flat plates which can grow to a metre wide. A genus of colonial coral is Heliopora coerulea (Blue coral). It is the only accepted octocoral that creates a massive skeleton. This skeleton, identical to scleractinia, is made from aragonite. Within the body, individual polyps reside in tubes and are bound to the outside of the skin by a thin layer of tissue. The skeleton of Heliopora coerulea is given its distinctive colour by iron salts, making for easy identification in fossil outcrops. In the family Mussidae, Favia is a genus of reef-building stony corals. Members of the genus are colonial corals that are massive or thickly encrusted, either dome-shaped or smooth, and a few are foliaceous.
So from these discussions we can conclude that Heliopora is called a blue coral.
Thus, the right option is C.

Note:- The blue coral has been assigned the conservation status of an endangered species by the IUCN, despite being widespread in certain areas and having a wide range. Its population is uncertain, but in line with the global loss of coral reefs, it is presumed to be declining; it is endangered by aquarium fishing, bleaching, habitat destruction, ocean acidification and climate change.