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Stinging-Celled Life, Phylum Cnidaria: Corals, Soft and Hard,
Gorgonians (Sea Fans), Anemones, Clavulariid Polyps, Organ Pipe
"Coral", even Black Coral and Tube-Anemones are found throughout the
Red Sea. Here are the most hardy, readily available forms.
Soft Corals, Order Alcyonacea: Thirteen genera are listed from here.
Some are hobby "standards", others you rarely see in the trade or the
wild. Other species recorded from here include Parethropodium fulvum,
Cladiella pachyclados, five species of Sinularia, Dendronephthyas
(mentioned above), Stereonephthya cundabiluensis, Umbellifera oreni and Siphonogorgia
spp.
| Litophyton arboreum Red Sea. Variable in color
depending where growing, season. Red Sea image. |
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| Lobophytum spp. Common throughout its range in the
Indo-Pacific. Feed via photosynthesis and plankton. Grow in folds or
finger-like projections by folding coenenchyme. Pictured, an usually large
"patch" of colonies on the reef lip (at the top of the slope),
and two close-ups in the Red Sea. |
| Parerythropodium fulvum (Forsskal 1775), Sulfur
Coral, Yellow Encrusting Leather Coral. So tough, it can be found creeping
onto the reef flat in places. A typical creeping colony and close-up in the Red Sea. |
 
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| Sarcophyton trocheliophorum Marenzeller 1886,
Elephant Ear Soft Coral. A large alcyoniid with symbiotic zooxanthellae.
This and fine plankton, dissolved organics are nutritive. To two feet
across. A popular aquarium species that loses easily to stinging anemones,
large polyp stony corals. Likes bright light, moderate current. Red Sea images.
S. ehrenbergi and S. glaucum also occur in the Red Sea. |
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| Pulsing Corals, family Xeniidae occur here in good numbers,
at times covering more than half the hard surface. Most often encountered
are one of at least ten species of Xenia spp. Shown: a typical
setting on a reef slope with pulsing corals, encrusting sponges and a
skulking bass, Cephalopholis miniata in view. |
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Stony Corals, Order Scleractinia, are more abundant and
diverse than the reef flat above. Most of what you'll find are members of the
following families, listed in order by preponderance by family, then genus
within family, then species within genus.
Family Acroporidae: There are three genera of Staghorn
Corals in the Red Sea; Acropora, Montipora and Astreopora. The first two are the
predominant life forms on the reef flat. These genera and occasional colonies of
Astreopora occur, though generally in less abundance down the reef slopes.
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Acropora hyacinthus (Dana 1846). Colonies as wide, flat
plates, possibly tiered. Branches fine in low wave action environments, fused in
brisk ones. Branchlets are fine, upward facing. Axial corallites not exsert, but
distinct; radial corallites are cup-shaped. Found on outer reef flats (shown)
and reef slopes. Red Sea images.
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| Acropora tenuis (formerly eurystoma) (Dana
1846). Colonies as corymbose clumps. Often with their fine branches
evenly spaced. Corallites: Axial ones are long, tubular. Radial ones in
neat rosettes often with flaring colored lips. Common on Res Sea Rocky
Reef Slopes. |
 
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| Astreopora myriophthalma (Lamarck 1816). Smooth,
hemispherical colonies. Corallites, conical, even-spaced. Coenosteum with
rippled ridges. Most common species. Red Sea images.
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| Montipora tuberculosa (Lamarck 1816).
Colonies submassive or laminar. Small corallites occur as both exsert and
embedded, separated by papillae, tuberculae of a corallite width. Found in
most reef environments. Red Sea pix.
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Family Pocilloporidae: All of the four genera of
pocilloporids of the Red Sea are to be found here on the rocky reef slope;
Stylophora, Seriatopora, Pocillopora and Madracis.
| Seriatopora hystrix Dana 1846, the most common Bird's
Nest Coral. Needle like endings on variably thick, twisted branches. Here
is a Bird's Nest Coral colony in the Red Sea. This species is often
encountered on the reef flat in other oceans; not here. Other members of
the genus in the Red Sea are S. caliendrum and S. octoptera. They're less
common by far. |
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| Genus Stylophora. S. pistillata (shown on the reef
flat) which occurs down the slope to about 25m. and is most common. S.
danae (shown) prefers sheltered habitats, and S. subseriata,
similar to S. pistillata are secondarily common. |
 
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Family Poritidae: Porites, Goniopora (seven
species) and Alveopora (five species) occur here, especially the first
genus as a principal reef builder. The other two genera are found more
toward the middle to bottom of the rocky reef slope on down to the sandy reef
slope.
| Porites lichen Dana 1846. Colonies as flat plates
with fused nodules, columns. Corallites in irregular rows with slightly
raised ridges between. Typically yellow in color. Common to dominant
species on reef slopes. Red Sea image. |
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| Alveopora daedalea (Forsskal 1775). Colonies as thick
plates or columns (up to a meter tall). Corallites with alternating short,
long septa. Tentacles appear squared off, six each tall, short in number.
Occur on protected upper reef slopes. Red Sea image. |
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Family Fungiidae: Mushroom Corals. Do occur in the Red Sea in the
genera Cycloseris (six species), Fungia (ten species),
Ctenactis (two species, both common), Podabacia (one species) and Herpolitha
(one species here), but sporadically as a rule. Some Fungia spp. are found on
the reef flat, but most species occur lower on the reef slope out to the sandy
reef slope.
| Ctenactis crassa (Dana 1846). Axial furrow extends
apparently to both ends of the polyp. Multiple mouths, all within the
furrow. Juvenile and older polyp in the Red Sea. |
 
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| Ctenactis echinata (Pallas 1776). Both septa and
costal (top and bottom skeletal lines) bear teeth. One mouth. Close-up and
adult in Fiji. Occurs in the Red Sea from the Reef Flat to 25
meters. |
 
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| Cycloseris sp. skeleton in the Red Sea, top
view. This genus is distinguished from Fungia by its finely
serrated costal edges (vs. denticular in Fungia), and lack of
perforations of said walls. |
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| Fungia fungites (Linnaeus 1758). Polyps irregularly
circular to round in appearance. Regular, saw like, triangular septal
teeth. Often with tentacular lobes showing. Aquarium and Pulau
Redang, Malaysia photos. |
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Family Agariciidae: Cactus, Elephant Skin,
Plate, Lettuce Corals; sporadically abundant in places. Four genera are
found here: Pavona (seven species), Leptoseris (seven species), Gardineoseris
(monotypic), Pachyseris (two species). Most are found in deeper water
here, near the lower rocky reef slope, onto rocky bommies on the lower sandy
slope. Most common species shown.
| Pachyseris speciosa (Dana 1846). One
sided colony faces, with regular ridging. Most common member of the genus.
Red Sea image. |
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| Pavona varians Verrill 1864. Colonies encrusting to
laminar, showing short, irregular valleys. Red Sea image. |
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| Leptoseris explanata Yabe & Sugiyama 1941.
Colonies made up of one-sided blades. Corallites expand as they grow
toward end of blades. Red Sea colony and close-up. |
 
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