General Information

COMMON NAMES: Lace Coral TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kāoa (MK) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - French Polynesia - Hawai‘i COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group; ? N.Group; Marine, near-shore, moat, reef-flat lagoon KEY FEATURES: Small 20cmØ, bushy colony, cream to pale brown. Short, dividing branches. Shorter, thinner terminal branches end with verrucae-like projections. Calices small blackspots 1mmØ with vertical spines on wall. SIMILAR SPECIES: Pocillopora danae has thicker branches & does not have verrucae that merge with branches (vs thinner branches and merging verrucae in Pocillopora damicornis). Pocillopora damicornis lacks true verrucae, unlike other species in this genus.

Cook Islands Distribution

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

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CNIDARIA (=Coelenterates); ANTHOZOA; ZOANTHARIA (=Hexacorallia); Scleractinia (=Madreporaria); POCILLOPORIDAE

IDENTIFICATION: COLONY to 20cmØ, bushy, cream to pale brown. Terminal branches 1cm long & less than 7mm at base, ending with many verrucae-like projections. CALICES minute (<1-1.2mmØ) dark spots, with vertical spines on the wall, polygonal & adjoining at branch ends, round & separated by flat spiny areas at branch sides. SEPTA,12, reduced to rows of spines. COLUMELLA mostly absent, sometimes as a few small spines, rarely as one larger spine. REPRODUCTION extra-tentacular budding.

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen+photo, Muri lagoon, S.Miller (2001) ID per Veron (AIMS Mono Series), NHP#SM002; CK- specimens, G.McCormack, NHP#GM011 - 017.

References:
Special Reference: Veron, J.E.N. & Pichon, M. (1976). Scleractinia of Eastern Australia. Part I Families Thamnasteriidae, Astrocoeniidae, Pocilloporidae. Australian Institute of Marine Science Monograph Series 1. p 45-48.

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

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