Montipora
| Montipora | ||||||||||||
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Typical leaf-shaped growing Montipora |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Montipora | ||||||||||||
| Blainville , 1830 |
The montipores are the second most species-rich genus of hard corals (Scleractinia). All montipores live in the tropical Indo-Pacific .
In German, the Montipora is often called pore corals because of its tiny polyps . Like most other hard corals, they live in a symbiotic relationship with small algae ( zooxanthellae ) that provide the montipores with nutrients. You are therefore dependent on bright locations.
Most Montipora - species cover crust-shaped underground or form foliated structures. But there are also some species, such as Montipora digitata , that grow in branches. As with the acropores, the number of species is unknown.
Montipores can also be cultivated in well-kept saltwater aquariums . By fragmenting larger colonies, they can easily be reproduced artificially. There are now many coral breeders who reproduce montipores and try to keep their shapes as colorful as possible. Today it is no longer necessary to import montipores from coral reefs.
Web links
- The Corals of the Genus Montipora (en.)
- Coral Hub: Montipora