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Brain coral is the popular name given to corals in the family Mussidae, so called thanks to their grooved and winding surface resembling brains. They are one of the most important families of reef corals, the largest in terms of number of genera and the second in terms of number of species. Their hard frame makes them important reef builders along with other stony corals in the order of Scleractinia. They prosper in the shallow, warm reaches of oceans worldwide, feeding on small drifting fauna and flora present. An ancient family name employed for brain corals, Faviidae, should be abandoned since the type member of that family (Favia fragum) has been endorsed as a member of the Mussidae (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/DIRK WIERSMA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)