Anthozoa |
Scleractinia |
Merulinidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Reef-associated; depth range 2 - 25 m (Ref. 8294). Tropical; 36°N - 34°S, 26°E - 137°W (Ref. 848)
Indo-Pacific. Tropical to subtropical.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Colony: massive. Corallites: circular, closely compacted in shallow water, more widely spaced in deeper water. Septa: fine, numerous, regular. Paliform lobes often poorly developed. Color: pale gray, green or brown, often with calices of contrasting color (Ref. 848).
Depth range is based on occurrence. Minimum depth from Ref. 115203. Occur in all reef environments (Ref. 848), subtidal on rocks, rocky reefs, outer reef channel, back and foreslopes and in lagoons (Ref. 98471). Depending on water conditions, can be found encrusting in small colonies, or forming massive heads (Ref. 130769).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the class Anthozoa are either gonochoric or hermaphroditic. Mature gametes are shed into the coelenteron and spawned through the mouth. Life cycle: The zygote develops into a planktonic planula larva. Metamorphosis begins with early morphogenesis of tentacles, septa and pharynx before larval settlement on the aboral end.
Ross, M.A. and G. Hodgson. 1981. (Ref. 8294)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
| FishSource |
Tools
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 24.6 - 29.3, mean 28.4 (based on 3683 cells).
Price category
Unknown.
