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Hydnophora exesa

Horn Coral

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Colony, branchlet & corallite detail, Rarotonga	68KB
Image:	Colony, Guam	64KB
Image:	Colony, Cook Islands	75KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Horn Coral, Spine Coral

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Cook Islands

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

KEY FEATURES: Branching colony with explanate base covered with monticules up to 8mm high. Corallites at base of monticules. 6-12 septa converge at monticule tips. Similar species - Hydnophora microconos. Range - e.Africa-Cook Islands. Habitat - outer reef-slopes, moats, lagoons.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Hydnophora microconos lacks branches and its septa do not have teeth adjacent to the columella (vs branching & dentate septa of Hydnophora excesa).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Hydnophora exesa (Pallas, 1766)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CNIDARIA (=Coelenterates); ANTHOZOA; ZOANTHARIA (=Hexacorallia); Scleractinia (=Madreporaria); MERULINIDAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: COLONY large with short rough looking inter-connecting basal branches ~ 40mmØ. Light brown/pink. Base of colony flattened. CORALLITES at base of conical mounds (monticules). MONTICULES up to 8mm high. SEPTA, 6-12, converge at tips of monticules & are thin & lack dentations but are thicker in valleys and toothed. COLUMELLA irregularly developed, consisting of a few twisted rods indicating corallite centres, or absent. REPRODUCTION is ????

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen+photo, Muri lagoon, S.Miller (2001) ID per Veron (AIMS Mono Series), NHP#SM049; CK- specimens, G.McCormack (1980s?), NHP#GM094 - 096.

References:
Special Reference: Veron, J.E.N., Pichon, M. & Wijsman-Best, M. (1977). Scleractinia of Eastern Australia. Part II Families Faviidae, Trachypyhlliidae. Australian Institute of Marine Science Monograph Series 3. p 129 - 134. Veron, J.E.N. (2000). Mary Stafford-Smith (ed). Corals of the world. Volume 2. Australian Institute of Marine Science. p 370-371.

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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