Pocillopora is a genus of stony corals in the family Pocilloporidae occurring in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.Veron, J.E.N. (2000) Corals of the World. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia. They are commonly called cauliflower corals and brush corals.
Description Cauliflower corals are widespread and can be identified by the presence of wart-like growths on their surface. The colonies can be dome shaped or branching and are very variable in colour and shape depending on the species and the environmental conditions. Species situated on shallow reefs pounded by the sea tend to be stunted whilst those in deep calm water are often thin and open. Each individual polyp has tentacles but these are normally extended only at night.Veron, J.E.N. (1986) Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific. Angus & Robertson Publishers, London, UK.
Biology The polyps are hermaphrodite, possessing four sets of male and four sets of female gonads. Pocillopora can reproduce asexually via fragmentation.Green, E. and Shirley, F. (1999) The Global Trade in Corals. World Conservation Press, Cambridge, UK. They also reproduce sexually and the larvae develop inside the polyps rather than free floating in the water, a reproduction strategy known as brooding. When they are mature, the larvae are released and can remain free-swimming for several weeks before settling on the substrate.
Pocillopora corals contain microscopic symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) living within them. Through photosynthesis, these algae produce energy-rich molecules that the coral polyps can assimilate. In return, the coral provides the algae with protection and access to sunlight. The polyps also feed by capturing tiny particles using their tentacles. These corals are widespread because they sometimes attach to floating objects and can be carried far afield by currents and wind.
Species The World Register of Marine Species includes the following species in the genus:
Pocillopora acuta Lamarck, 1816 Pocillopora aliciae Schmidt-Roach, Miller & Andreakis, 2013Schmidt-Roach S, Miller KJ, Andreakis N (2013) Pocillopora aliciae: a new species of scleractinian coral (Scleractinia, Pocilloporidae) from subtropical Eastern Australia. Zootaxa 3626: 576–582. Pocillopora ankeli Scheer & Pillai, 1974 Pocillopora bairdi Schmidt-Roach, 2014Schmidt-Roach S, Miller KJ, Lundgren P, Andreakis N (2014) With eyes wide open: a revision of species within and closely related to the Pocillopora damicornis species complex (Scleractinia; Pocilloporidae) using morphology and genetics. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 170: 1-33. Pocillopora brevicornis Lamarck, 1816 Pocillopora capitata Verrill, 1864 Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus, 1758) Pocillopora effusus Veron, 2002 Pocillopora elegans Dana, 1846 Pocillopora fungiformis Veron, 2002 Pocillopora grandis Milne Edwards & Haime, 1860 Pocillopora indiania Veron, 2002 Pocillopora inflata Glynn, 1999 Pocillopora kelleheri Veron, 2002 Pocillopora ligulata Dana, 1846 Pocillopora mauritiana Brüggemann, 1877 Pocillopora meandrina Dana, 1846 Pocillopora molokensis Vaughan, 1907 Pocillopora verrucosa (Ellis and Solander, 1786) †Pocillopora vitiensis Hoffmeister, 1945 Pocillopora woodjonesi Vaughan, 1918 Pocillopora zelli Veron, 2002
Non exhaustive gallery of symbionts
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