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Ahermatypic: corals without zooxanthellae, often referred to as
non-reef-building corals |
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Antipatharian coral: coral that produces a hard proteinaceous
skeleton; Black coral |
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Appressed Corallite: radial corallites of Acropora with one side fused to the branch axis |
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Arborescent: coral with a tree-like growth form |
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Axial Corallites: distinctive corallites at the apex of Acropora
branches, usually much larger than Radial corallites below |
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Bleaching: condition when colored zooxanthellae are expelled from
a living coral due to stress, resulting in a weakened specimen with its
white skeleton clearly visible through the animal's transparent tissue. |
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Bottlebrush: Acropora growth form where branches are lined
with many elongate tubular corallites |
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Budding: process of corallite reproduction by division to create
identical copies; see Extra- and Intratentacular budding |
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Caespitose: bushy growth form of Acropora with branches
dividing with 3 axes |
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Calyx: portion of corallite defined by the outer wall, plural
calices |
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Cerioid: corals with corallites that have shared outer walls |
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Coenosteum: flat surface of coral between individual corallites |
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Colony: coral composed of multiple corallites; compare to Solitary |
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Columella: skeletal structure at center of corallite; none,
porous, peg, or rod-like |
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Corallite: skeleton of an individual coral polyp; the cup a polyp
lives within |
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Corymbose: Acropora growth form where plates or clumps are
composed of interlocking horizontal branches with upturned tips |
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Costae: radiating ribs that occur outside corallite walls;
compare to Septa |
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Digitate: growth form of short thick vertical branches that are
finger-like |
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Encrusting: relatively thin growth form which closely
approximates the surface beneath |
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Endemic: species restricted to a specific area |
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Extratentacular budding: process of budding that grows outward
from the parent corallite's outer wall; compare to Intratentacular
budding |
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Flabello-meandroid: corals with polyp-containing valleys that are
separated by additional ridges |
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Free-living: corals that are not attached to the substrate |
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Hermatypic: corals with zooxanthellae, often referred to as
reef-building corals |
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Immersed corallites: corallites with opening embedded within
coenosteum
|
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Incipient: axial corallites in some species of Acropora that
are smaller than average
|
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Intratentacular budding: process of budding that occurs within the parent corallite's outer wall; compare to
Extratentacular
budding
|
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Massive: thick colonies, often having a round, dome, or cube shape
|
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Meandroid: coral with corallites within valleys that share walls;
compare to Flabello-meandroid
|
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Monticule: conical process arising from corallite walls that
include ribs, also known as Hydnophore
|
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Nariform: triangular radial corallites of Acropora
resembling an upside-down nose
|
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Octocoral: corals with body divided into 8 parts rather than 6; Soft
corals & gorgonians
|
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Pali: vertical rods (pali) or plates (paliform lobes) arising from
inner end of septal plates
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Papillae: warts, rods, or lumps on coenosteum which are no larger
than a corallite; see Verruccae
|
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Petaloid septa: primary septa with a petal-like appearance
surrounded by smaller septa; Family Siderastreidae
|
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Phaceloid: colony composed of a cluster of individual corallites on
long stalks
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Planula: free-swimming coral larvae
|
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Plocoid: colony with elevated corallites that do not share walls
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Polyp: a single corallite (skeleton) and animal that formed it
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Prostrate: branching coral that grows horizontally just above the
substrate
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Radial corallites: smaller corallites that occur on side of Acropora
branches; compare to Axial corallites
|
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Rasp-like corallites: long radial corallites in Acropora
with curved, knife or rasp-shaped openings
|
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Scale-like corallites: short radial corallites in Acropora
with curved, fish-scale like appearance
|
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Scleractinian coral: coral that produces a hard limestone
skeleton |
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Septa: radiating skeletal plates or ribs within a corallite's
walls, may be in several cycles by size |
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Septo-costae: radiating skeletal plates or ribs that are
continuous, extending outside the corallite walls onto the coenosteum
and usually shared with adjacent corallites; Family Agariciidae,
Siderastreidae |
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Soft coral: coral that does not produce a hard limestone
skeleton; see Octocoral |
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