DiscoverSpeciesCorals and anemones
Elephant ear anemone
Amplexidiscus fenestrafer
- Usual depth6–13 m
- Water temperature25–29 °C
- Best monthsJune, October, and December
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Anne Hoggett, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Amplexidiscus fenestrafer, also known as the elephant ear anemone, is a species of coral belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. The name "elephant ear anemone" is a misnomer because it is actually a species of coral. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Amplexidiscus.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Amplexidiscus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 23 records
- February: 22 records
- March: 20 records
- April: 26 records
- May: 21 records
- June: 29 records
- July: 26 records
- August: 20 records
- September: 26 records
- October: 32 records
- November: 27 records
- December: 32 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 6–13 m · Deepest record: 15 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 25–29 °C
Photos
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Eric Crandall, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Elephant ear anemone, Giant cup mushroom coral, Giant disc anemone, Giant elephant's ear anemone, Giant elephant's ear mushroom coral, Giant flower coral, elephant ear anemone, giant cup mushroom coral, giant disc anemone, giant elephant's ear anemone, giant elephant's ear mushroom coral, giant flower coral, giant mushroom anemone, large elephant ear
Names in 4 more languages
- German
- Großes Elefantenohr
- French
- Anémone-oreille d'éléphant
- Japanese
- オオイソギンチャクモドキ
- Thai
- เห็ดทะเลถ้วย, เห็ดหูช้าง
Other scientific names: Discosoma fenestrafera
Similar species
Umbrella corallimorpharianDiscosoma neglecta
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 91 open-data records from 1977 to 1994.
- Species data updated October 31, 2026.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.