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Calceola

Calceola The genus Calceola is represented by solitary corals with a skeleton whose shape recalls that of a sadal (a typical example is C. sandalina). The corallite is semicircular and the calyx is closed by an operculum; the calyx is inserted in the dorsal side, which is flattened and carries the hinge of the operculum. Upon removing the operculum one notices the presence of a cardinal septum which matches a small fossula accompanied by a large number of secondary septa. This animal's shape is reminiscent of certain Brachiopoda and Bivalvia adapted to life in the reef, and for a long time this fossil was not regarded as a coral at all. Calceola probably lived with its ventral side (the convex one) resting on the seabed and was able to withdraw when necessary by closing its operculum. .