Goniopora tenuidens
©Andy Lewis: Goniopora tenuidens at Watson's Bay, Lizard Island, with retracted polyps on part of the colony
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Cnidaria
Class
Hexacorallia
Order
Scleractinia
Family
Poritidae
Genus
Goniopora
Species
Goniopora tenuidens
Status
least concern
Colours
Distinguishing features
A coral that forms massive and sub-massive colonies with a soft appearance when polyps are extended. Polyp tentacles are uniform in length, and typically coloured light brown or cream. The underlying tissues are sometimes a light green.
Size
- Size data has not been obtained.
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Protected lagoons and back reef margins.
Can be found in most habitats around Lizard Island.
Local abundance
- Lizard Island: Common
Behaviour
Goniopora tenuidens has aggressive sweeper tentacles, and has also been found to emit toxic compounds, hence other corals are not able to settle nearby, and it is resistant to feeding by Crown of Thorns Starfish and so has survived the 1990's outbreak with little loss.
This species is a gonochoric broadcast spawner.
Web resources
References
References that assist with identification
- Veron, J.E.N. (2000). Corals of the World Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville.
Other references
- Baird, A.H., J.R. Guest and B.L. Willis (2009). Systematic and biogeographical patterns in the reproductive biology of scleractinian corals, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 40: 551-571.
- Dinesen, Z.D. (1983). Shade-dwelling corals of the Great Barrier Reef, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 10: 173-185. LIRS catalog number 157.
- View all references