Montipora

Growth morphologies for the genus Montipora include submassive, laminar, foliaceous, encrusting, and branching.^[4][5] It is not uncommon for a single Montipora colony to display more than one growth morphology.^[5] Healthy Montipora corals can be a variety of colors, including orange, brown, pink, green, blue, purple, yellow, grey, or tan.^[5] Although they are typically uniform in color, some species, such as Montipora spumosa or Montipora verrucosa, may display a mottled appearance.^[5]

Montipora corals have the smallest corallites of any coral family.^[5] Columellae are not present.^[5] Coenosteum and corallite walls are porous, which can result in elaborate structures.^[5] The coenosteum of each Montipora species is different, making it useful for identification.^[5] Polyps are typically only extended at night.^[5]

Montipora corals are commonly mistaken for members of the genus Porites based on their visual similarities, however, Porites can be distinguished from Montipora by examining the structure of the corallites.^[5]

Montipora corals are common on reefs and lagoons of the Red Sea, the western Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean, but are entirely absent in the Atlantic Ocean.^[4]

Montipora corals are hermaphroditic broadcast spawners.^[6] Spawning typically happens in spring.^[6] The eggs of Montipora corals already contain zooxanthellae, so none is obtained from the environment.^[6][7] This process is known as direct or vertical transmission.^[3]

Montipora corals are preyed upon by corallivorous fish, such as butterflyfish.^[8] Montipora corals are known to host endo- and ectoparasites such as Allopodion mirum and Xarifia extensa.^[1] A currently undescribed species of nudibranch in the genus Phestilla has also been reported in the scientific and aquarium hobbyist literature to feed on the genus.^[9]

Montipora corals are susceptible to the same stresses as other Scleractinian corals, such as anthropogenic pollution, sediment, algal growth, and other competitive organisms.^[6]

A 2007 study found that the genus Montipora formed a strongly supported clade with Anacropora, making it the genus with the closest genetic relationship to Montipora.^[10] It is thought that Anacropora evolved from Montipora relatively recently.^[7]

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  Montipora capricornis
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  Polyps of Montipora aequituberculata
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  Montipora aequituberculata colonies near Ningaloo Reef
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  Montipora caliculata
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  Branching colony of Montipora capitata in Hawaii
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  Encrusting colony of Montipora capitata
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  Polyps of Montipora danae
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  Montipora ehrenbergii
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  Montipora grisea
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  Montipora hispida
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  Polyps of Montipora hispida
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  Polyps of Montipora monasteriata
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  Montipora nodosa
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  Montipora tuberculosa
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  Montipora verrucosa at Birch Aquarium in San Diego, CA