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Communities of Corals in Reef Ecosystems
several common species of the genus Agaricia. They have mostly plate-like
colonies and inhabit the deep fore-reef and buttress zones of outer slopes
(Goreau and Goreau 1973). Their colonies often form there continuous
covers. The coral Laptoseris is also common in the same biotopes of Atlantic
reefs, being represented there by the single species L. cucculata.
Family Oculinidae includes a coral very common on the Indo-Pacific reefs,
Galaxea fascicularis, which forms small and medium-sized crustose or globelike colonies. In its ecological features it resembles the coral Pavona,
mentioned above. Another oculinid coral, Achrelia horrescens, forms
extremely beautiful but very spiny ramose colonies. Several species of
oculinids are living also on the Atlantic reefs.
Family Merulinidae have representatives only on reefs of the Indo-Pacific.
Some of them are rather common, like Merulina ampliata. This coral has
foliose or columnar colonies and inhabits reef fiats and the upper zone of
reef slopes, the same as another coral, Hydnophora exaesa, frequent on
Indo-Pacific reefs, which has massive or columnar colonies.
Family Mussidae includes two genera common on reefs of the Indo-Pacific,
Lobophyllia and Symphillia. Their large massive colonies are formed by
separate big corallites 3 cm in diameter and 20-30 cm long. They inhabit
usually the outer slope zones down to depths of 30 m, and the bottom of
deep lagoonal patch reefs. In the Atlantic, this family is represented by six
genera. Most common among them are Mussa, Mycenophyllia and Scolimia.
They form massive or crustose colonies and prefer biotopes with low or
medium turbulence.
Family Fungiidae unite the solitary scleractinian corals, which live only on
reefs of the Indo-Pacific. Their single free-living polyps, which attain in
some species 30-40 cm, hide within massive round or ellipsoid corallites.
Their average size is 10-20 cm. They inhabit the bottom of pits and channels
covered with rubble and sand in turbulent zones of reef fiats, reef edge and
moat on outer slopes. Often fungiids form large aggregations on bottom
areas of several square meters. They are shifted by surf, some of them also
moving actively with the aid of their long tentacles, and are able to live on
the surface of sandy bottoms in lagoons. Among them the genera Fungia,
Heliofungia, Halomitra, Diaseris, Cycloseris, and Poliphilla are the most
common (Pichon 1974; Gill and Coates 1977).
Family Dendrophylliidae unite scleractinian genera with various structures
of colonies, hermatypic and ahermatypic. It includes solitary corals
(Heteropsammia) , corals with colonies structured as a bunch of separate
corallites (Dendrophyllia) and corals which form real colonies, either
ramose (Tubastrea) or fait, funnel-like (Turbinaria). Most of the
Communities of Corals in Reef Ecosystems
several common species of the genus Agaricia. They have mostly plate-like
colonies and inhabit the deep fore-reef and buttress zones of outer slopes
(Goreau and Goreau 1973). Their colonies often form there continuous
covers. The coral Laptoseris is also common in the same biotopes of Atlantic
reefs, being represented there by the single species L. cucculata.
Family Oculinidae includes a coral very common on the Indo-Pacific reefs,
Galaxea fascicularis, which forms small and medium-sized crustose or globelike colonies. In its ecological features it resembles the coral Pavona,
mentioned above. Another oculinid coral, Achrelia horrescens, forms
extremely beautiful but very spiny ramose colonies. Several species of
oculinids are living also on the Atlantic reefs.
Family Merulinidae have representatives only on reefs of the Indo-Pacific.
Some of them are rather common, like Merulina ampliata. This coral has
foliose or columnar colonies and inhabits reef fiats and the upper zone of
reef slopes, the same as another coral, Hydnophora exaesa, frequent on
Indo-Pacific reefs, which has massive or columnar colonies.
Family Mussidae includes two genera common on reefs of the Indo-Pacific,
Lobophyllia and Symphillia. Their large massive colonies are formed by
separate big corallites 3 cm in diameter and 20-30 cm long. They inhabit
usually the outer slope zones down to depths of 30 m, and the bottom of
deep lagoonal patch reefs. In the Atlantic, this family is represented by six
genera. Most common among them are Mussa, Mycenophyllia and Scolimia.
They form massive or crustose colonies and prefer biotopes with low or
medium turbulence.
Family Fungiidae unite the solitary scleractinian corals, which live only on
reefs of the Indo-Pacific. Their single free-living polyps, which attain in
some species 30-40 cm, hide within massive round or ellipsoid corallites.
Their average size is 10-20 cm. They inhabit the bottom of pits and channels
covered with rubble and sand in turbulent zones of reef fiats, reef edge and
moat on outer slopes. Often fungiids form large aggregations on bottom
areas of several square meters. They are shifted by surf, some of them also
moving actively with the aid of their long tentacles, and are able to live on
the surface of sandy bottoms in lagoons. Among them the genera Fungia,
Heliofungia, Halomitra, Diaseris, Cycloseris, and Poliphilla are the most
common (Pichon 1974; Gill and Coates 1977).
Family Dendrophylliidae unite scleractinian genera with various structures
of colonies, hermatypic and ahermatypic. It includes solitary corals
(Heteropsammia) , corals with colonies structured as a bunch of separate
corallites (Dendrophyllia) and corals which form real colonies, either
ramose (Tubastrea) or fait, funnel-like (Turbinaria). Most of the