Oulophyllia crispa

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Oulophyllia crispa
Oulophyllia crispa.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Scleractinia
Family: Merulinidae
Genus: Oulophyllia
Species:
O. crispa
Binomial name
Oulophyllia crispa
(Lamarck, 1816) [2]
Synonyms [2]
List
  • Coeloria cooperi Gardiner, 1904
  • Coeloria gigantea Yabe & Sugiyama, 1935
  • Coeloria magna Gardiner, 1904
  • Maeandrina crispa Lamarck, 1816
  • Meandrina crispa Lamarck, 1816
  • Ulophyllia aspera Quelch, 1886
  • Ulophyllia bonhourei Gravier, 1910
  • Ulophyllia cellulosa Quelch, 1886
  • Ulophyllia crispa (Lamarck, 1816)
  • Ulophyllia maxima Rehberg, 1892
  • Ulophyllia stokesiana Milne Edwards, 1857
  • Ulophyllia stuhlmanni Rehberg, 1892

Oulophyllia crispa, sometimes called the intermediate valley coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It is native to the tropical western and central Indo-Pacific region. Although this coral has a wide range, it is generally uncommon and seems to be decreasing in abundance, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being "near threatened". [1]

Contents

Description

Colonies of this coral form massive hemispherical domes, stacks or plates that can be a metre (yard) or more across, but in the Red Sea, it seldom exceeds 20 centimetres (8 in). The corallites are arranged in broad meandering valleys with acute-edged ridges separating them. The septa are thin and evenly spaced, and slope uniformly to the central columella. The polyps only expand at night; they are large and fleshy and have white-tipped tentacles. The colour of this coral is usually some shade of brown, grey or green, sometimes with contrasting oral discs. This coral is somewhat similar in appearance to Platygyra daedalea . [2] [3] [4]

Distribution and habitat

This coral is found in the tropical western and central Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and East Africa to Australia, Japan, the East China Sea and the island groups of the West Pacific Ocean. It is found on reefs at depths down to about 30 metres (100 ft), mostly occurring on subtidal rocks and in lagoons. [1]

Ecology

Oulophyllia crispa is a zooxanthellate coral that has unicellular dinoflagellates embedded in its soft, transparent tissues. These use sunlight to create organic carbon molecules that the coral can use. [2] As this coral grows, the polyps do not divide completely, resulting in several mouths being present in each large corallite. Boring sponges (Cliona spp.), polychaete worms and bivalve molluscs bore holes into colonies of this coral, causing bioerosion. [5]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Platygyra lamellina</i> Species of coral

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<i>Pavona decussata</i> Species of coral

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<i>Oxypora lacera</i> Species of coral

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<i>Echinophyllia aspera</i> Species of coral

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<i>Dipsastraea pallida</i> Species of coral

Dipsastraea pallida is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It is found in tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This is a common species of coral with a widespread distribution, and the main threat it faces is from the destruction of its coral reef habitats. It is rated as a "least-concern species" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This species was first described in 1846 as Favia pallida by the American zoologist James Dwight Dana; it was later transferred to the genus Dipsastraea, but some authorities continue to use the original name.

References

  1. 1 2 3 DeVantier, L.; Hodgson, G.; Huang, D.; Johan, O.; Licuanan, A.; Obura, D.O.; Sheppard, C.; Syahrir, M.; Turak, E. (2014). "Oulophyllia crispa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T133200A54211359. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T133200A54211359.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hoeksema, Bert (2015). "Oulophyllia crispa (Lamarck, 1816)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2015-06-16.
  3. Hoeksema, Bert; van Ofwegen, L. "Genus Oulophyllia". Reef Corals of the Indo-Malayan Seas. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
  4. Chang-feng Dai; Sharon Horng (2009). 台灣石珊瑚誌. 國立臺灣大學出版中心. p. 123. ISBN   978-986-01-8745-8.
  5. Highsmith, Raymond C. (1981). "Coral Bioerosion: Damage Relative to Skeletal Density". The American Naturalist. 117 (2): 193–198. doi:10.1086/283698. JSTOR   2460500. S2CID   84253338.