dcsimg

Biology

provided by World Register of Marine Species
zooxanthellate

Reference

van der Land, J. (ed). (2008). UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms (URMO).

license
cc-by-4.0
copyright
WoRMS Editorial Board
contributor
Jacob van der Land [email]

Description

provided by World Register of Marine Species
The coenosteum of this species is granular and smooth to the naked eye. There are no very large axial corallites. Branch tips and the ends of branchlets may support several immersed corallites with none being clearly the directive or true axial one. Branchlets are closely packed and blunt. The colony form is a semi-circular table, thick, sturdy plates or brackets often reaching 60 cm across, or are bush shaped. Branchlets in the centre of the colony are often quite different to those at the edge, the latter are "squared off" and lumpy, with a cropped appearance. Radial corallites are a mixture of appressed cylindrical or small, conical lumps. The species is common in sheltered water between 5 and 25 metres, and colours are generally pale brown or cream (Sheppard, 1998).

Reference

Sheppard, C.R.C. (1998). Corals of the Indian Ocean: a taxonomic and distribution database for coral reef ecologists

license
cc-by-4.0
copyright
WoRMS Editorial Board
contributor
Esther Fondo [email]