Ctenactis echinata
©Anne Hoggett: Ctenactis echinata about 35 cm long, immediately before spawning at about 9:30 pm on 20 Nov 2016 at Big Vicki's Reef, Lizard Island. This specimen appears to have two mouths but this may be due to an injury at the site where the mouths meet.
©Anne Hoggett: Ctenactis echinata immediately after one of several forceful spurts of spawning, at about 9:30 pm on 20 Nov 2016 at Big Vicki's Reef, Lizard Island. Successive spurts were separated by a minute or two.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Cnidaria
Class
Hexacorallia
Order
Scleractinia
Family
Fungiidae
Genus
Ctenactis
Species
Ctenactis echinata
Status
least concern
Colours
Distinguishing features
A fungid coral that forms an elongate skeleton up to 35 cm long. Septal teeth are well developed. Only a single mouth is present. Colour is typically brown.
Size
- Up to 35 cm (Length)
Synonyms
Similar taxa
-
Animalia:
species: Ctenactis crassa
has several mouths and the axial furrow extends almost to the end of the skeleton (Veron, 2000).
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Reef fronts, lagoons.
Can be found in most habitats around Lizard Island.
Behaviour
C. echinata is a gonochoric broadcast spawner. In Japanese populations from Okinawa, the species was shown to be protandrous with the capability for bi-directional sex change. In Red Sea populations, it takes approximately 10-12 years to reach the maximum size of 200mm.
Web resources
References
References that assist with identification
- Veron, J.E.N. (2000). Corals of the World: Volume 2 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