title: Merulina
text: # Merulina
  
  Merulina is a genus of stony corals in the family Merulinidae. Members of this genus are native to the Indo-Pacific region and their ranges extend from the Red Sea through the Indian Ocean as far as Japan and the southern central Pacific Ocean. Merulina ampliata is the type species.
  
  ## Characteristics
  
  Colonies can be laminar, foliose, columnar or arborescent, and can adopt all of these forms in a single colony. On laminar plates, valleys radiate from the centre, becoming contorted on branching structures.
  
  ## Species
  
  The following species are currently recognized by the World Register of Marine Species :
  
  * Merulina ampliata (Ellis & Solander, 1786)
  * †Merulina isseli (Prever, 1922)
  * Merulina rotunda Nemenzo, 1959
  * Merulina scabricula Dana, 1846
  * Merulina scheeri Head, 1983
  * Merulina triangularis (Veron & Pichon, 1980)
  