| Oxypora glabra | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Anthozoa |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Lobophylliidae |
| Genus: | Oxypora |
| Species: | O. glabra |
| Binomial name | |
| Oxypora glabra Nemenzo, 1959 [2] | |
Oxypora glabra is a species of large polyp stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae. It is a colonial coral with thin encrusting laminae. It is native to the central Indo-Pacific.
Oxypora glabra is a species of scleractinia coral, otherwise known as stony or hard coral, and part of the family Lobophylliidae, which is characteristic of robust coral colonies. [3] Corals are extremely plastic organisms in that their structures rely on their environment, making construction widely variable. O. glabra colonies are dark brown in color and have an encrusting laminae, or “plate”, formation with twisted septa that form short, clockwise spiral structures . [4] The size of plating in O. glabra ranges between relatively small (<20 cm) to relatively large (>1m) throughout its depth distribution. [5] The distribution of costae, a rib-like structure, is numerous at the center of the coral colony and declines moving out toward the edges. The corallite diameter is small and not as widely spaced as other Oxypora species. [6] Corals are often described by their morphological variation. This is problematic in the case of O. glabra because Lobophylliidae consists of 12 genera including Echinophyllia, which is often mistaken for species in the Oxypora genera. [7] Because there is a history of insufficient descriptions of O. glabra, a molecular approach is needed to delaminate the scleractinia coral. In a 2016 study analyzing Indo-Pacific corals genotypes, shared haplotypes suggest O. glabra is more closely related to species in the Echinophyllia genera than those in Oxypora. Additional studies are needed in order to formally move O. glabra from the latter genus to the former. [8]
O. glabra is found throughout the Indo-Pacific and heavily concentrated in the mesophotic zone. The plating coral can be found as shallow as 3 meters, [9] but commonly dominates the lower mesophotic zone (60m-80m) due to its structure and large surface area that absorbs the limited light available at those depths. On a vertically structured reef, O. glabra is rarely found at depths below 90 meters, but on a gradually sloping reef it can be as deep as 110–125 m where there is more exposure to irradiance. [10] O. glabra is more common on the outer slope of Indo-Pacific reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef, and is generally found in sheltered areas. [11]
Corals are made up of soft-bodied animals that form polyps. The multiplication of polyps through either intracellular or extracellular budding leads to the formations of coral colonies. [12] As an Indo-Pacific hermatypic, or reef building, coral, O. glabra is subject to a phenomenon known as mass spawning. As sea temperature rises during the spring, many coral species in the Great Barrier Reef synchronize the release of their gametes. The spawning occurs at night for several consecutive days and is the most common way in which scleractinian corals externally fertilize. The reason for this phenomenon is still widely unknown, but its importance is evident; whole populations of coral species engage in this action annually. [13]
Corals are susceptible to environmental and human impacts. When anthropogenic pollution causes ocean temperatures to rise, corals’ symbiotic algae, called zooxanthellae, expel from the coral in a process commonly known as “bleaching” that ultimately kills the organism. A 1990 study [14] conducted an experiment testing the effects of sedimentation of Indo-Pacific reef corals. Sediment deposits occur naturally, but can be expedited by humans through invasive processes such as dredging. O. glabra was found to be especially susceptible to sedimentation as sections of the coral layered with sediment underwent tissue necrosis that was ultimately fatal to the scleractinian coral. Exposing coral to the antibiotic tetracycline prevented some coral mortality, suggesting that the bacteria involved in tissue necrosis is tetracycline-sensitive.
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.
Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral disc in which a mouth is fringed with tentacles. Although some species are solitary, most are colonial. The founding polyp settles and starts to secrete calcium carbonate to protect its soft body. Solitary corals can be as much as 25 cm (10 in) across but in colonial species the polyps are usually only a few millimetres in diameter. These polyps reproduce asexually by budding, but remain attached to each other, forming a multi-polyp colony of clones with a common skeleton, which may be up to several metres in diameter or height according to species.
Mussidae is a family of stony coral in the order Scleractinia. Following a taxonomic revision in 2012, the family is now restricted to species found in the Atlantic Ocean, with Pacific species transferred to the new family Lobophylliidae. Many species are referred to as brain coral because their generally spheroid form and grooved surface resembles the convolutions of a brain.
Montipora is a genus of Scleractinian corals in the phylum Cnidaria. Members of the genus Montipora may exhibit many different growth morphologies. With eighty five known species, Montipora is the second most species rich coral genus after Acropora.
The open brain coral is a brightly colored free-living coral species in the family Merulinidae. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Trachyphyllia and can be found throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Pocillopora is a genus of stony corals in the family Pocilloporidae occurring in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are commonly called cauliflower corals and brush corals.
Acroporidae is a family of small polyped stony corals in the phylum Cnidaria. The name is derived from the Greek "akron" meaning "summit" and refers to the presence of a corallite at the tip of each branch of coral. They are commonly known as staghorn corals and are grown in aquaria by reef hobbyists.
Cycloseris is a genus of solitary disc corals in the family Fungiidae. They are found in the Indo-Pacific. They inhabit the lower reef slopes, and the areas between reefs with soft sediments. They tolerate turbid waters.
Galaxea fascicularis is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Euphylliidae, commonly known as octopus coral, fluorescence grass coral, galaxy coral among various vernacular names.
Pectiniidae was a family of stony corals, commonly known as chalice corals, but the name is no longer considered valid.
Micromussa lordhowensis, previously known as the 'Acan Lord', is a species of stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae. It is a widespread and common coral with large polyps occurring on shallow reefs in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It was originally classified under the genus Acanthastrea, and reclassified under the genus Micromussa in 2016.
Euphyllia cristata is commonly called grape coral. E. cristata is a kind of stony or hard coral in the family Euphylliidae; it also belongs to the genus Euphyllia in the order of Scleractinia. E. cristata has a wide range of distribution throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific area with a large presence in Indonesia. However, despite this large range of distribution, E. cristata has a slightly lower abundance compared to other species, making them a little more uncommon to find. They are typically found in shallow waters from 1–35 meters deep.
Lobophylliidae is a family of large polyp stony corals. The family was created in 2009 after a revision of the "robust" families of Faviidae, Merulinidae, Mussidae and Pectiniidae, which had been shown to be polyphyletic. The family Lobophylliidae was formed out of the Indo-Pacific species that had traditionally been included in Mussidae, and some of the species which had previously formed Pectiniidae, the remaining species from Pectiniidae having been merged into Merulinidae. The type genus is Lobophyllia.
Turbinaria is a genus of colonial stony corals in the family Dendrophylliidae. Common names for this genus include disc coral, scroll coral, cup coral, vase coral, pagoda coral and ruffled ridge coral. These corals are native to the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Japan and the south Central Pacific Ocean.
Dactylotrochus is a genus of large polyp stony corals from the Red Sea and western Pacific Ocean. It is monotypic with a single species, Dactylotrochus cervicornis. It inhabits the deep sea and is believed to be azooxanthellate.
Oxypora is a genus of large polyp stony corals. Members of this genus are colonial corals and are generally foliaceous, usually with very thin leaves. They are native to the Indo-Pacific and are sometimes found in reef aquariums.
Oxypora lacera, the ragged chalice coral or porous lettuce coral, is a species of large polyp stony corals in the family Lobophylliidae. It is a colonial coral which can be submassive, encrusting or laminar. It is native to the western Indo-Pacific.
Echinophyllia is a genus of large polyp stony corals. Members of this genus are colonial corals and are generally foliaceous, usually with very thin leaves. They are native to the Indo-Pacific and are sometimes found in reef aquariums.
Echinophyllia aspera, commonly known as the chalice coral, is a species of large polyp stony corals in the family Lobophylliidae. It is a colonial coral which is partly encrusting and partly forms laminate plates or tiers. It is native to the western and central Indo-Pacific.
Pleuractis is a genus of mushroom corals in the family Fungiidae. Members of the genus are found growing on reefs in the Indo-Pacific.
