Montipora
Montipora is a genus of Scleractinian corals in the phylum Cnidaria. There are 85 known species.[2]
Montipora | |
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Montipora aequituberculata | |
Scientific classification | |
Unrecognized taxon (fix): | Montipora |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Montipora corals are common on reefs and lagoons of the Red Sea, the western Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean. They are entirely absent in the Atlantic Ocean.
This coral grows in plates. It can cover huge portions of a reef. The coral is attached permanently to the ocean floor. It spreads out into thin, wide, leaf-like colonies. Larger colonies can grow out in multiple layers. Its surface is covered with many bumpy protrusions.
Diet
It gets most of its nutritional needs from the symbiotic dinoflagellates that live inside its cells.
Montipora Media
Polyps of Montipora aequituberculata
Branching colony of Montipora capitata in Hawaii
Encrusting colony of Montipora capitata