Montipora grisea
Species of coral
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Montipora grisea is a small polyped stony coral in the family Acroporidae.
| Montipora grisea | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Acroporidae |
| Genus: | Montipora |
| Species: | M. grisea |
| Binomial name | |
| Montipora grisea Bernard, 1897 | |
Description
It is an encrusting species considered to be massively sized, with "thick unifacial plates."[2] It is usually dark brown or green in color, but also appears in shades of blue or pink.[2] These corals have small bumps, known as thecal papillae, that are fused together around the corallite.[3] They also have a coenosteum papillae that is present.[3]
Pink
Green
Brown
Distribution & habitat
Montipora grisea has a vast range, found within the reefs of forty-five countries and territories throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans. It exists at depths of 3 to 20 meters, with a preference for "shallow, tropical reef environments on upper reef slopes."[4]
Despite being considered a common species with a presently large population, Montipora grisea faces an array of threats.[4] It is moderately susceptible to bleaching, though notably less so than Acropora corals.[4] Other threats include predation from the crown-of-thorns starfish, harvesting for the aquarium trade, climate change and ocean acidification.[4]
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