Organ coral
| Organ coral | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tubipora musica |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Tubipora | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Tubipora musica | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus, 1758 |
The organ coral ( Tubipora musica ) occurs in the Red Sea and in the tropical Indo-Pacific mostly in the extremely bright environment on the reef roofs . It is the only species of its genus, belongs to the Octocorallia and is one of only three reef-forming corals from this subclass. The other two are the blue coral ( Heliopora coerulea ) and Sinularia leptoclados . The organ coral lives in an endosymbiosis with single-celled, symbiotic algae ( zooxanthellae ), which supply the coral with nutrients.
features
The organ coral forms massive, cushion-shaped colonies that can reach a diameter of ten centimeters to one meter and consist of parallel, vertical chalk tubes measuring up to two millimeters in diameter, which are connected in layers by horizontal plates. The skeleton is reminiscent of organ pipes . It is colored bright red by embedded dyes. The tube spacing and diameter vary depending on the location of the colony and the strength of the water movement. The tubes grow thickest in the surf on the edge of the reef. The different growth forms were previously described as different species, but are now all united in the species Tubipora musica .
Each tube contains a polyp which , like all eight-pointed flower animals, has eight tentacles. The tentacles are pinnate, but the feathers are barely recognizable because they are fused together. The polyps are usually gray, light brown or greenish in color. Often the mouth disc is green and the tentacles gray. When the polyps are open, the skeleton cannot be seen.
use
Since the coral is collected to sell the dried skeletons to tourists as souvenirs or to use in the jewelry industry, it has become rare. The organ coral can hardly be kept in a saltwater aquarium .
literature
- Erhardt / Moosleitner: Mergus Sea Water Atlas Volume 2 , Mergus-Verlag, Melle, ISBN 3-88244-112-7 .
- Schumacher / Hinterkirchner: Lower sea animals , BLV, ISBN 3-405-14854-5 .
Web links
- Tubipora musica inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: D. Obura, D. Fenner, B. Hoeksema, L. Devantier, C. Sheppard, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2013.