Corynactis

Fautin, Daphne Gail, 2011, Corallimorphus niwa new species (Cnidaria: Anthozoa), New Zealand members of Corallimorphus, and redefinition of Corallimorphidae and its members, Zootaxa 2775, pp. 37-49 : 40

Genus Corynactis

Corallimorphidae occurring in shallow seas at both temperate and tropical latitudes. Polyps typically clonal. Column long relative to oral disc; seldom exceeds 10 mm diameter but may exceed 100 mm. Mesoglea thin. Animal supple in texture, capable of retracting fully: column can completely cover oral disc and tentacles. Marginal sphincter muscle weak. Typically, 2–8 discal tentacles communicate with some endocoels; exocoelic marginal tentacles longer than marginal endocoelic ones. Siphonoglyphs and directive mesenteries may be present or absent within a single species.

Comment. As revised, members of Corynactis comprise 17 valid species (the 15 listed by Fautin 2010 plus the two that had been described in Pseudocorynactis ). In the New Zealand EEZ, two species have been recorded ( Cairns et al. 2009): C. australis occurs in intertidal and shallow subtidal depths, and C. denhartogi somewhat deeper; both are also known from southeastern Australia.