Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Cyphastrea serailia

Lesser Knob Coral

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Open this image in pop-up window Image: Colony & corallite skeletal detail, Rarotonga 62KB
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Skeleton showing corallite detail, Cook Islands 61KB
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Skeleton showing corallite detail, Cook Islands 58KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Lesser Knob Coral, Knob Coral

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - French Polynesia

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

KEY FEATURES: Corallites have own walls. Calices small, round, circular, 2-3mmØ. Coenosteum blistered.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Cyphastrea chalcidicum has conical, alternating costae visible in situ (vs equal costae in Cyphastrea serailia). Cyphastrea micropthalma has 10 primary septa (vs 12 primary septa).

Enlarged Image of 'Cyphastrea serailia'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group:
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Cyphastrea serailia (Forskal, 1775)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CNIDARIA (=Coelenterates); ANTHOZOA; ZOANTHARIA (=Hexacorallia); Scleractinia (=Madreporaria); FAVIIDAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: COLONY knobbly, encrusting. Colour mottled or uniform brown, cream or grey. CORALLITES circular, well-spaced, walls protrude 0.5mm. CALICES 2-3mmØ. SEPTA, 2 orders, 12 in each, margins & sides granulated, toothed. Septal teeth irregular, long, inwardly projecting. COLUMELLA, a few upward projecting dentate rods. COSTAE dentate, do not adjoin across the coenosteum. COENOSTEUM blistered with thin, teeth-like tips. REPRODUCTION extra-tentacular.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen+photo, Muri lagoon, S.Miller (2001) ID per Veron (AIMS Mono Series), NHP#SM033; CK- specimens, G.McCormack (1980s?), NHP#065 - 067.

References:
Special Reference: Veron, J.E.N., Pichon, M. & Wijsman-Best, M. (1977). Scleractinia of Eastern Australia. Part II Families Faviidae, Trachyphylliidae. Australian Institute of Marine Science Monograph Series 3. p 169-173.

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. Copy citation to system clipboard
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