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Astreopora myriophthalma

Porous Star Coral

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Colony & skeleton showing calices & thistle-like spinules, Rarotonga	80KB
Image:	Colony close-up, Cook Islands	51KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Porous Star Coral

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - French Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group; ? N.Group; Marine, near-shore, moat, reef-flat lagoon, reef-flat, outer reef slope

KEY FEATURES: Boulder-like, hemispherical colony, even surfaced. Corallites evenly spaced, slightly cone-like, mixed with smaller, sunken corallites, round calices, 1.8-2.8mmØ. Septa, 2 orders. Reproduction ?

SIMILAR SPECIES: Astreopora sp. 1 has a plate-like growth form (vs hemispherical, rounded growth form of Astreopora myrophthalma).

Enlarged Image of 'Astreopora myriophthalma'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P	P	P	P	P	P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Astreopora myriophthalma (Lamarck, 1816)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CNIDARIA (=Coelenterates); ANTHOZOA; ZOANTHARIA (=Hexacorallia); Scleractinia (=Madreporaria); ACROPORIDAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: COLONY boulder-like, hemispherical, or flattened, with an even surface. CORALLITES evenly-spaced, slightly cone-like. Interspersed with smaller, sunken corallites. CALICES rounded, 1.8-2.8mmØ. SEPTA, 2 orders, 1st reach 3/4 R while 2nd order is reduced. COENOSTEUM covered in short rods with thistle-like tips. REPRODUCTION ?

GENERAL NOTE: Astreopora sp.1 is not recorded as having been found in the Cooks. However, this species appears to have been renamed since Veron, 1984.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen+photo, Muri lagoon, S.Miller (2002) ID per Veron (AIMS Mono Series), NHP#SM012.

References:
Special Reference: Veron, J.E.N. & Wallace, C.C. (1984). Scleractinia of Eastern Australia. Part V Family Acroporidae. Australian Institute of Marine Science Monograph Series 6. p 426-429 .

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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