Characters: Polyps are small (up to 65 mm diameter) except in the Red Sea (up to 200 mm diameter), cup-shaped when fully developed, and have wavy margins. The species may be solitary or colonial, the latter consisting of a few contorted corallites. Primary septa are thin and usually smooth edged.
Colour: Mottled brown.
Similar Species: Cantharellus doederleini, which is smaller with thick primary septa.
Habitat: Shallow reef environments.
Abundance: Rare.
Taxonomic Note: The type species of Cantharellus Hoeksema and Best, 1984. Occurrences from the Red Sea probaby warrant description as a separate species.
Taxonomic References: Hoeksema and Best (1984); Hoeksema (1989a); Veron (2000a);
