Ahermatypic corals (Scleractinia: Dendrophylliidae, Oculinidae and Rhizangiidae) recorded from submarine caves in Hong Kong
Author
Lam, Katherine
Author
Morton, Brian
Author
Hodgson, Paul
text
Journal of Natural History
2008
2008-03-31
42
9 - 12
729
747
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222930701862724
journal article
10.1080/00222930701862724
1464-5262
5224891
Tubastrea coccinea
Lesson, 1829
(
Figure 2A–B
)
Tubastrea coccinea
Lesson, 1829:93
Tubastrea coccinea
Wells, 1982:216
;
Ogawa and Takahashi 1993:98
, Plate 1,
Fig. 3
Description
Encrusting and slightly massive corallum. Circular to slight eliptical corallites spaced closely and budding extra-tentacularly from the intercorallite coenosteum. Corallites are short and raised
3–5 mm
above the coenosteum. Colony size ranges from
40 mm
to
100 mm
in length and width and
15–30 mm
in height. Corallite diameter ranged from
8.5–10.2 mm
. Septal order is hexameral and in four complete cycles. Septal size, in a descending order, is S
15
S
2
.S
4
.S
3
. In large corallites, pairs of S
4
unite before S
3
. Columella is large and spongy. Living colony is orange with yellow tentacles.
Distribution
Galápagos Islands, circumtropical (
Cairns 1991
),
Japan
(
Ogawa and Takahashi 1993
),
Korea
(
Song 1982
) and Steep Island Cave,
Hong Kong
(this study).