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Pocillopora meandrina

Cauliflower Coral

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Colony, skeletal verrucae & branch detail, Rarotonga	58KB
Image:	Colony, Guam	63KB
Image:	Colony, Guam	46KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Cauliflower Coral

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Indonesia - Tahiti - Hawai‘i

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

KEY FEATURES: Bushy colony, 70cmØ, cream, green or pink. Evenly spaced, laterally flattened branches covered in verrucae, with colonies from shallow water having curved branches when viewed from above. Calices are located on verrucae and lateral sides of branches.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Pocillopora verrucosa from the same habitat has larger verrucae (vs P. meandrina has smaller verrucae). However, usually P. verrucosa has slightly smaller calices & a little more development of septa (vs P. meandrina has larger calices & less septal development).

Enlarged Image of 'Pocillopora meandrina'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
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

Pocillopora meandrina (Dana, 1846)
SYNONYMS: Pocillopora verrucosa

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CNIDARIA (=Coelenterates); ANTHOZOA; ZOANTHARIA (=Hexacorallia); Scleractinia (=Madreporaria); POCILLOPORIDAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: COLONY 70cmØ, upright, bushy, cream, green or pink. Branches evenly spaced, laterally flattened & covered in verrucae. CORALLITES imbedded. CALICES on verrucae and lateral sides of branches. SEPTA poorly developed, in 2 cycles. COLUMELLA, if present, also poorly developed. COENOSTEUM covered in tiny, laterally flattened rod-like projections. REPRODUCTION extratentacular.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimens+photo, Nikao ORS, S.Miller (2001) ID per Veron (AIMS Mono Series), NHP#SM003 - 004.

References:
Special Reference: Veron, J.E.N. & Pichon, M. (1982). Scelractinia of Eastern Australia. Part IV. Family Poritidae. Australian Institute of Marine Science Monograph Series 5. p 133-135.

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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