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Related FAQs: TWA Invertebrates, Fishes of the Tropical West
Atlantic, Tropical West Atlantic 2,
Related Articles: Algae, Vascular Plants, Introduction to Fishwatcher's Guide
Series Pieces/Sections, Lachnolaimus
maxiumus/Hogfish, Hogfishes of the Genus Bodianus,
Invertebrates, Algae and Vascular Plants of The Tropical West Atlantic: Bahamas to Brazil,
Part 6
To: Part 1,
Part 2, Part 3,
Part 4, Part 5,
Part 7, Part 8,
Part 9,
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By Bob Fenner
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Stony Corals |
Family Acroporidae, Classification:
Staghorn corals come in many shapes and all colors... and these traits can be
highly variable per species. Most are typically branched, table-top shaped, or
encrusting per type, but colors often ran the gamut of browns, whites to pinks,
blues, yellows, greens, even purple, depending on growing conditions. As with
other true or stony corals (Order Scleractinia) real determination to the
species level rests on close examination of corallites (individual polyp
skeletons), biochemical and genetic study.
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Acropora cervicornis, one of three
Staghorn Corals of the tropical Western Atlantic. To eight feet in height,
branches to more than an inch diameter. Cozumel image. |
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Acropora palmata, Elkhorn Coral. Found in
the tropical West Atlantic. Established stands are 3-12 feet in diameter,
with branches of 2-10 inch width. Occasionally "occurs" on live
rock cultured for the trade. Pictured, a large stand in Belize and a
budding colony in an aquarium. |
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Acropora prolifera, the Fused Staghorn.
Photos of a colony in
Cancun, Mexico, and a "found" cultured specimen in
captivity.
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Family Poritidae:
| Porites asteroides Mustard Hill Coral. Form
encrusting colonies in shallows to domes in calmer, deeper water. Three
Bahamian specimens below. First two from the shallows are close ups. Cozumel
close-up by Di.F at right. |
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| Porites porites (Pallas 1776), Finger Coral. Smooth
appearing branches with embedded polyps. Generally tannish to brown in
color but may be blue, purple. Open polyp (nighttime) feeding detail at
right in the Bahamas. A close up below and a very small colony in an
Eelgrass bed in Belize and an larger colony in the Bahamas. |
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Family Meandrinidae: Easily mistaken for faviids, the widely separated species of Meandrinid corals can be discerned by their solid skeletal structure. With polyps closed
their corallites septa are clearly seen as prominent, exsert (sticking out), of
equal size and spacing.
Three genera (Eusmilia, Gyrosmilia and Montigyra) were
moved by Veron (2000) to here from the Caryophylliidae. Four genera in the
tropical West Atlantic, three in the eastern Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
| Dendrogyra cylindrus, Pillar Coral. Upright,
generally arising from sandy areas. Polyps typically open, feeding during
the day. Cancun, Mexico image. |
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| Dichocoenia stokesii Mile Edwards & Haime 1848,
Elliptical Star Coral. Flattened plates or boulder-shaped. Corallites
spaced evenly. Bahamas photos of a plate-like colony, close-up of a typical
shallow water and deeper, more-shaded colony. Bahamas pix. |
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| Eusmilia fastigiata (Pallas 1766) .
Typically dome-shaped, phaceloid colonies with well-spaced tubular
corallites. Found sparsely throughout the tropical West Atlantic. Extends
tentacles at night. Images taken in Bahamas of small and large brown colonies
at right, and Tobago and at night, feeding in Bonaire below. |
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| Meandrina meandrites (Linnaeus 1758), Maze, Butter
Print, Tan Brain Coral. Occurs as flattened and hemispherical colonies.
Thin ridge at top of septa where plates come together. Right, at night in
Bonaire. Bahamas photos below. |
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To: Part 1, Part 2,
Part 3, Part 4,
Part 5, Part 7,
Part 8, Part 9,
Part 10, Part 11,
Part 12, Part 13,
Part 14, Part 15,
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