Echinopora fruticulosa

Echinopora fruticulosa is a species of stony coral in the family Merulinidae.[1]

Echinopora fruticulosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Scleractinia
Family: Merulinidae
Genus: Echinopora
Species:
E. fruticulosa
Binomial name
Echinopora fruticulosa

Description

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Colonies of Echinopora fruticulosa form dome-shaped clumps reaching a maximum diameter of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) and height of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in). It is an entirely ramose species, with single tubular corallites of about 5–8 millimetres (0.20–0.31 in) in diameter, developed all around the branches. The basic color of these corals is pinkish-brown with pale corallites.[1][2]

Distribution and habitat

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These widespread but not very common corals can be found in the Red Sea, the southwestern Indian Ocean, Madagascar and Comoros, usually in reefs close to sandy patches, at a depth of 4–20 metres (13–66 ft).[1][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Echinopora fruticulosa Klunzinger, 1879". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  2. ^ "AIMS Coral Facts Sheet". Archived from the original on 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  3. ^ IUCN