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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 7 To:
Part 1, Part 2,
Part 3, Part 4,
Part 5, Part 6, Part 8,
Part 9, Part 10,
Part 11, Part 12,
Part 13, Part 14,
Part 15, |
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| Bob Fenner |
More Stony Corals |
Family Pocilloporidae:
This family, erected (made up) by Gray in 1842, is second only to the
Acroporids in importance as contributors to reef formation.
Pocilloporids reproduce sexually year round by way of planulae larvae,
asexually by fragmentation. Most forms are finger-like (digitate) to
branching (ramose). The family was made up of five genera until recently
(Madracis and Paulaustrea are now part of the family Astrocoeniidae
according to Veron, 2000). Genus Madracis Edwards & Haine
1849, Finger, Pencil, Cactus Corals. the only genus of the family found
in the Atlantic (also in the Pacific). This genus placed by Veron (2000)
in the new family Astrocoeniidae. |
Madracis dedactis (Lyman 1859), Ten-Ray Star Coral. Tropical
West and East Atlantic. Colonies to six inches in height. Typically
with ten septa per corallite. Cozumel pic by Di.F. | 
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Madracis formosa Wells 1973, Finger or Cactus Coral.
Colonies made up of densely packed small thumb-like branches with
blunt ends. Appear fuzzy when open. Dull to Green with yellow
central corallite color. Bahamas photo and close-up. | 
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Family Faviidae Gregory 1900. The second largest family of
stony/true corals (after the Acroporids of course). More than twenty
genera (24)... Most are roundish to hemispherical and "brain like" in
appearance, though there are some notable exception. All bear
zooxanthellae and are colonial. Genus Colpophyllia Milne
Edwards and Haime 1848. One species. |
Colpophyllia natans (Houttuyn 1772), Symmetrical Brain Coral.
Large roundish to hemispherical colonies or encrusting. Long
snake-like valleys. Septa short, equal and pointing out. A fine
ambulacral groove runs along the top between corallite walls. The
world's largest Brain Coral on the right off of Flying Reef, Tobago;
below, a view of it edge-wise and a colorful shot and close-up of
smaller specimens in the Bahamas. | 
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Genus Diploria Milne Edwards and Haime 1848. Massive, meandroid
colonies. Columellae (centers of corallites) are interlinked with
ridges. All tropical West Atlantic. |
Diploria labyrinthiformis (Linnaeus 1758). Typically
hemispherical in appearance. Often with some valleys being parallel,
spaced about 5-8 mm. apart. Below, a boulder being shared with a
Montastrea in Belize and two Bahamas images. |
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Diploria strigosa (Dana 1848). Massive or encrusting. Valleys spaced
6-9 mm. apart. Surface is smooth. Tobago images. |  
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Genus Favia Oken 1815. One of the most widely distributed (though
not that common) genera of stony corals. Most corallites circular,
uniform in appearance. Plocoid (corallites that are conical with their
own walls). Genus and family named for Greek: "Honeycomb" (favus) which
the regular size, arrangement of corallites approaches. |
Favia fagrum (Esper 1797). Small colonies that may be encrusting
or hemispherical. Corallites of variable shape, with one to many
mouths. Bahamas and aquarium images. |  
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Genus Manicina Ehrenberg 1834. Rose Corals. One species, tropical
West Atlantic. Free-living or attached. Note groove on top of valley
walls. |
Manicina areolata Linnaeus 1758.
Though its range is restricted to the Tropical West Atlantic it
continues to be mis-sold as Trachyphyllia geoffroyi Audouin
1826, the Rose Coral by some dealers. Below, two four inch specimens
in less than a foot of water in a seagrass bed in Placencia,
Belize, the second with tentacles extended. The last a hemispherical
"adult" specimen of about a foot diameter in the Bahamas. Close-up
at right. |
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Genus Montastrea Blainville 1830. Massive, flat or dome-shaped
colonies. Monocentric and plocoid corallites. |
Montastrea annularis (Ellis and Solander 1786), Lobed Star
Coral. Tropical West Atlantic. To ten feet tall. Common. Found as
clusters of columns with domed tops. Living polyps on upper areas of
colonies, dead, eroded below. Corallites appear as uniform in size,
shape. Conical to flush with colony surface. Longer and short septa
alternate, small, compact columellae. Cozumel pix by Di.F below. |
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Montastrea cavernosa Great or Large Star Coral. Colonies as boulder
shaped domes. Distinctive blister/cone-like corallites of larger than
other TWA species (about 9mm in diameter). At right, a massive colony in
Bonaire. First row below: Some pix taken in St. Lucia showing color and
shape differences. The latter at night while this colony was feeding.
Last, a close-up by Di.F in Cozumel. Second row below, some pix from
Bonaire, the last at night. | 
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Montastrea faveolata Mountainous Star Coral. In mounds or large
sheets, with bumpy appearance, with corallites more or less arranged in
vertical rows. Belize image. | 
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To: Part 1, Part 2,
Part 3, Part 4, Part
5, Part 6, Part 8,
Part 9, Part 10,
Part 11, Part 12,
Part 13, Part 14,
Part 15,
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