The Staghorn coral family (Acroporidae) is the most important species of coral reefs. Among them, the genus Staghorn Coral is the most abundant and most diverse of reef-making stony corals, and it is also the genera with the largest variation. Today, I will mainly tell you about three kinds of staghorn corals - spear-branched staghorn coral, budded staghorn coral and hyacinth staghorn coral.
Spear-branched staghorn coral – well-behaved Lolita
(Okinawa Seti by author)
Spear-branched staghorn coral, Acropora aspera (Dana, 1846), dendritic antler coral. In Taiwan, it is known as spear-branch shaft hole coral, and the Japanese name is ヒメマツミドリイシ. It is more common in shallow areas of reefs with slower flow. This photo is taken on a bright reef field about 2 meters deep.
At the top of the short, chubby branches, larger polyps are particularly prominent. Lateral polyps are shorter and come in two sizes. The lower lip of the larger polyp pod wall is elongated, so it looks a bit like a flat semicircle. Polyps are arranged like scales on top of the branches.
Chose it as the first post here because of this beautiful purple color. The common spear-branched staghorn corals are mostly brown and brownish green. When it was first seen in the sea, it was mistaken for a beautiful staghorn coral of the same family of deer antlers that was loved by people in many beautiful colors, such as Acropora muricata (Dana, 1846). Although the name is not as ostentatious as the beautiful staghorn coral, but the beautiful color, the more round and small body, if the slender beautiful staghorn coral is a lady, the spear branch coral is a well-behaved Lolita.
As one of the most common coral species, corals of the Staghorn coral family grow faster and are not to be underestimated in coral reef ecosystems as a forward player in corals. But it is more sensitive to temperature, if the sea temperature exceeds 30 ° C for a long time, the proud antler coral will die for the first time to show you!
Budding staghorn coral – not like staghorns blame me
There are three types of staghorn corals in the picture, and the middle one is the budding staghorn coral Acropora gemmifera
(Brook, 1892)。 Taiwan calls it the bud shaft hole coral. Japanese 名是オヤユビミドリイシ, because its coarse short conical branch resembles a thumb in a finger (親指、オヤユビ)。 Budding staghorn corals are mostly grass-green as shown in the figure, as well as yellow-brown, tea-brown and so on. It is distributed in the shallow parts of the reef slope and in the reef pool, and has a relatively good resistance to the impact of the waves.
Unlike the spear-branched staghorn corals introduced above, the group is shaped instead of bifurcated antlers or branches, but is an umbrella-like inflorescence (pictured below).
Looking at the local map, let me introduce the distinguishing characteristics of budding antler corals: the top of the thick branch is a significantly larger polyp, and the polyps that grow on the sides are arranged in an orderly manner (the spear branch antler coral is scaly), and the closer to the base of the branch, the larger the polyps.
It is said that corals provide a three-dimensional space for coral reef organisms to shelter, and the bottom of the budding staghorn coral with smaller gaps in the thick branches often hides coral fish, and crab shrimp are hidden between the branches. In addition, corals, especially this reef-making coral with hard bones, have another function that is often overlooked - anti-wave revetment. They weaken the force of the waves lapping at the coast, calming the waves entering the reef pool, giving the coral reef creatures living here a stable juvenile environment, and silently guarding the people living on the seashore.
Hyacinth antler coral – I have a small fresh name and a muscular body
The table coral located above the budding antlers is the hyacinth antler coral, although a horn is exposed, but its flat, wide characteristics can be seen at first, but as we all know, this table coral has considerable resistance to larger winds and waves, and its small and fresh Chinese name gives people a very different feeling.
The slender literary name, the broad body gives you the greatest sense of security in the wind and waves - hycopora hyacinthus (Dana, 1846). Taiwan calls it a table-shaped shaft hole coral, Japanese name クシハダミドリイシ。 It is often seen in shallow areas of reef pools and reef slopes.
Let's take a look at the hyacinth antler corals as they first grow. The thick base, the huge heavy disk surface, only a giant typhoon can uproot and overturn it, rather than being completely destroyed by the broken branches of the big wave like other dendritic and leafy corals.
When hyacinth staghorn corals gradually grow into a huge disc shape, the diameter can even reach 2 m. At the point where it reaches, it is the best refuge for coral fish, but at the same time it is the nightmare of other corals underneath, although it resists the wind and waves and predators, but also robs the surrounding corals of the sunshine.
Most easily confused with hyacinth staghorn corals is another giant table-shaped coral, the wave staghorn coral. For example, in the 10th issue of China's National Geographic Magazine in 2010, the photo of the underwater table-shaped coral in the Nansha Islands published is the wave staghorn coral. What's the difference between the two?
(The above picture comes from baidu encyclopedia wave stag antler coral atlas The picture below is from the self-taken hyacinth antler coral)
The first is that the polyps at the top of the hyacinth antler coral branches are shorter, and the polyps at the top of the wave antler coral branches are particularly prominent. Secondly, the lateral corals on the branches of hyacinth antlers are arranged like garlands, which are more compact, so the branches are thicker and shorter. The lateral polyps of the wave staghorn coral are not very compact and slightly messy, and the number is small, so it appears slender.
If you have the opportunity to encounter a huge table-shaped coral underwater, you may wish to look closely to identify it, but remember not to fold and kick it.
See the huge table-shaped coral, you may wish to look closely to identify, but remember not to fold, kick damage.