Seriatopora

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Seriatopora
Seriatopora hystrix in an aquarium

Seriatopora hystrix in an aquarium

Systematics
Trunk : Cnidarians (Cnidaria)
Class : Flower animals (anthozoa)
Subclass : Hexacorallia
Order : Hard corals (Scleractinia)
Family : Pocilloporidae
Genre : Seriatopora
Scientific name
Seriatopora
Lamarck , 1816

Seriatopora is a genus of hard corals (Scleractinia). Since they have extremely filigree skeletons with pointed ends, they are referred to in German as thorn corals , needle corals or crown of thorns corals .

distribution

All Seriatopora species occur in the coral reefs of the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific from the coast of East Africa to Samoa . There are also some populations in the central Pacific.

features

The generic name Seriatopora comes from the polyps arranged in rows (series, Latin = row) . This distinguishes them from related coral genera such as Pocillopora and Stylophora from the same family. The corals form small and medium-sized colonies that form filigree, fragile, densely branched, often pointed branches at the end.

ecology

All Seriatopora species live in symbiosis with algae from the dinoflagellate group . The zooxanthellae provide the corals with nutrients. In addition, the small gall crabs Hapalocarinus marsupialis live in a commensal relationship with the corals. In an unknown way, the female crab causes the corals to change their growth form and to form a coral bile similar to the plant bile. The female is locked in and only has contact with the outside through a small hole. The males live between the branches, matching the color of the coral.

species

The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) lists 7 species of the Seriatopora genus .

literature

  • SA Fosså, & AJ Nilsen: Coral reef aquarium . Volume 4, Birgit Schmettkamp Verlag, Bornheim, 1995, ISBN 3-928819-05-4 .
  • Julian Sprung: Korallen , Dähne Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-92168-487-0

Web links

Commons : Seriatopora  - collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

  1. ^ WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Seriatopora Lamarck, 1816. Retrieved April 22, 2019 .