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Montipora "purple lumpy" GP

Velvet Coral

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Image:	Colony & corallite structure, Rarotonga	53KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Velvet Coral

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

KEY FEATURES: Bright purple, small encrusting coral. Calices 6mmØ. Septa, 6, well-defined. Coenosteum, small, vertically projecting rods.

Enlarged Image of 'Montipora purple lumpy GP'

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

Montipora "purple lumpy" GP
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CNIDARIA (=Coelenterates); ANTHOZOA; ZOANTHARIA (=Hexacorallia); Scleractinia (=Madreporaria); ACROPORIDAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: COLONY typically small (up to 20cmØ), lumpy, encrusting. Bright purple. Calices small & visible in situ. CORALLITES 6mmØ, typically 1 per top of mound & well-spaced, but also in flattened areas/valleys. SEPTA, 6, well-defined. COENOSTEUM made up of many small, vertically projecting rods. REPRODUCTION via extra-tentacular budding.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimens+photo, Muri lagoon, S.Miller (2002) ID per Veron (AIMS Mono Series), NHP#SM022 - 023.

References:
None recorded.

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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