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Orange cup coral (Tubastraea coccinea) is a large-polyp stony coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region, but has also been introduced into the Atlantic, including the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the West African region, and the Mediterranean Sea. The species is found in a variety of habitats including natural caves and rock faces as well as artificial surfaces such as granite, cement, steel and tile. The polyps of orange cup coral are red, and its tentacles are yellow-orange. The orange cup coral is heterotrophic and does not contain zooxanthellae in its tissues as many tropical corals do, allowing it to grow in complete darkness as long as it can capture enough food, feeding by using its transparent tentacles to capture zooplankton. It spreads using the ocean's currents and can reproduce both sexually and asexually. This orange cup coral was photographed in the Gulf of California off the coast of La Paz in Baja California Sur, Mexico.Photograph credit: Diego Delso