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Porites
EntityQ144608· pop 14· linked from 99 articles

Also known as Stony corals

thumb|In intertidal reef-flat environments, massive Porites form characteristic microatoll formations, with living tissues around the perimeter, and dead skeleton on the exposed upper surface. Microatoll growth is predominantly lateral, as vertical growth is limited by a lack of accommodation space. thumb|right|Small colony of Porites porites

Species

finger coral

GENUS

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumCnidaria
  3. ClassAnthozoa
  4. OrderScleractinia
  5. FamilyPoritidae
Habitatmarine
Observations recorded144,267

via GBIF

Museum specimens

Specimen records
3,929
With media
63
Family
Poritidae
Collections
NHMUK, MHN-UABCS
Recorded in
Venezuela, Mexico, Indonesia

~7 min read

Encyclopedic overview

7 sections
Contents
  • Aquarium trade
  • Paleoclimatology
  • Ecology and biogeography
  • Physiology
  • Threats
  • Species
  • References

thumb|In intertidal reef-flat environments, massive Porites form characteristic microatoll formations, with living tissues around the perimeter, and dead skeleton on the exposed upper surface. Microatoll growth is predominantly lateral, as vertical growth is limited by a lack of accommodation space. thumb|right|Small colony of Porites porites

Porites is a genus of stony coral; they are small polyp stony (SPS) corals. (Also referred to as finger coral or hump coral) They are characterised by a finger-like morphology. Members of this genus have widely spaced calices, a well-developed wall reticulum and are bilaterally symmetrical. Porites, particularly Porites lutea, often form microatolls. Corals of the genus Porites also often serve as hosts for Christmas tree worms (Spirobranchus giganteus).

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Porites” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (3)