Rough Cactus Coral

Fun facts for your next surface interval

• It broods developing larvae inside the colony. [source]
• It obtains nutrition from both symbionts and captured plankton. [source]
• The corridor record is attributed to Key Largo, Florida. [source]

Florida and local context

Florent Charpin’s individual photograph page identifies Mycetophyllia ferox and explicitly places that photograph at Key Largo, Florida.

A documented past record does not establish present abundance or guarantee an encounter.

Sources: Local occurrence record: Key Largo, Florida

Harvest, protection and eating safety

Can it be hunted or harvested?

Mycetophyllia ferox is a stony coral (Scleractinia), a group whose recreational harvest FWC prohibits. Research or aquaculture authorizations are not ordinary recreational permission. Federal South Atlantic prohibited-coral and live-rock rules also apply where relevant. NOAA separately lists Mycetophyllia ferox as ESA threatened throughout its range. This status is distinct from the state harvest prohibition; critical habitat alone is not a closed area.

Florida seasons and areas

No recreational take. Blue Heron Bridge mapped dive-site waters are closed to marine-life harvest; nearby Peanut Island records do not establish that exact location. Biscayne ornamental collection requires a superintendent permit. Its separate mapped fishing/possession closure is March 1–May 31, effective March 2026, with properly stowed continuous transit excepted. Key Largo Management Area prohibits collection of these invertebrates; lobster and commercial trap exceptions do not authorize their collection. Sanctuary Preservation Areas prohibit collecting. Check exact boundaries and current park requirements, including Pennekamp, before any take. General state rules do not override these areas.

Can it be speared?

Do not spear this protected organism. State and federal jurisdictions differ. FWC location restrictions and NOAA Key Largo spearfishing prohibition must be checked independently. Pennekamp is not a spearfishing allowance.

Is it safe to eat?

No exact-species food-safety clearance, meal frequency, or dated species-matched local menu evidence was verified. Recipes remain disabled. Collection legality is not evidence of edibility.

Mycetophyllia ferox is a stony coral (Scleractinia), a group whose recreational harvest FWC prohibits. Research or aquaculture authorizations are not ordinary recreational permission. Federal South Atlantic prohibited-coral and live-rock rules also apply where relevant. NOAA separately lists Mycetophyllia ferox as ESA threatened throughout its range. This status is distinct from the state harvest prohibition; critical habitat alone is not a closed area.

This review covers the Vero Beach–Key Largo Atlantic corridor: Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Florida Atlantic state waters and South Atlantic federal waters are distinct jurisdictions. Do not extend a state-water season tag to federal waters or transfer Atlantic rules to Gulf-side Keys waters. Park and sanctuary boundaries can override a species allowance. FWC expressly states that its marine-life regulations apply in federal waters; this does not erase independent federal restrictions.

Before you act: Confirm the species, date, exact management area, state or federal waters, gear, licenses and current local closures. A local occurrence record never grants permission to take an animal.

Official rules and health guidance

• FWC recreational marine-life groups, live landing, limits, federal application and Blue Heron Bridge closure
• FAC current adopted-rule landing page; body not exposed; development notices not treated as adopted law
• FWC coral and live-rock restrictions
• FWC gear and location restrictions
• NOAA Key Largo Management Area rules
• NOAA Sanctuary Preservation Area rules
• NPS Biscayne ornamental collection permit restriction
• FWC Biscayne mapped seasonal closure
• Current federal South Atlantic prohibited coral and wild live-rock rule
• NOAA exact-species ESA threatened status

Reviewed 2026-11-11. Rules and advisories can change; check the linked authorities before acting.

Identification and source cautions

• Historical occurrence does not establish current abundance, colony survival, or a guaranteed sighting.
• No original profile, harvest/legal review, artwork, or publishing has been completed for this candidate.
• Observation date was not supplied. Identification follows the named photographer; the specimen was not independently reidentified.
• A named diving area is given, not a particular reef or exact dive site.
• The exact local photograph is attributed to its source and has not been independently reidentified for this draft.
• Biological source access varies: some records were accessible only as an abstract or indexed passage. Independent claim review is required.
• No cited photograph is reproduced or licensed by this draft.

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