The outer layer or covering of a coral or similar organism; the external skeletal layer in corals and some marine animals.
From Greek epi- (upon/outer) + theke (case, sheath). The term literally means 'outer sheath' and was applied to coral anatomy because this layer forms the visible outer casing.
Coral polyps build their colorful outer casings called epithecae one microscopic layer at a time—when you see a living coral reef, you're looking at millions of tiny animals each protected by their own custom-built epithecal armor.
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