Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Turbinaria heronensis

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Class
  
Anthozoa

Order
  
Scleractinia

Rank
  
Species

Phylum
  
Cnidaria

Subclass
  
Hexacorallia

Family
  
Dendrophylliidae

Similar
  
Turbinaria stellulata, Turbinaria peltata, Turbinaria reniformis, Turbinaria mesenterina, Dendrophylliidae

Dark horse hero coral turbinaria heronensis


Turbinaria heronensis, commonly known as disc coral, is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region where it occurs in shallow water in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Philippines and Australia. It is a zooxanthellate coral that houses symbiont dinoflagellates in its tissues. It is an uncommon species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has rated it as "vulnerable". It was described by Wells in 1958.

Contents

Description

This colonial species reaches diameters of up to 50 centimetres (20 in) and its colonies frequently divide. The species is green, yellow or brown in colour and its corallites are tube-shaped and long. This zooxanthellate stony coral houses symbiont dinoflagellates in its tissues.

Distribution

This rare coral has unknown population figures but the population is considered to be decreasing; the species is likely to be threatened by the global reduction of coral reefs, the increase of temperature causing coral bleaching, climate change, human activity, parasites, and disease. It is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and western central, northwestern and southwestern Pacific Ocean, in the countries of Fiji, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. It is found at depths of between 5 and 15 metres (16 and 49 ft) in subtropical reefs on slopes and flats. The IUCN has rated the conservation status of this species as being of "vulnerable". It is a rare species but it has a large range. T. conspicua is listed under CITES Appendix II.

Taxonomy

It was described as Turbinaria heronensis by Wells in 1958.

References

Turbinaria heronensis Wikipedia