Porites compressa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Porites compressa | |
|---|---|
,_lobe_coral_(Porites_lobata),_and_finger_coral_(Porites_compressa)_(5762963067).jpg) | |
| Left-to-right: Pocillopora meandrina, Porites lobata, Porites compressa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Poritidae |
| Genus: | Porites |
| Species: | P. compressa |
| Binomial name | |
| Porites compressa Dana, 1846 | |
Porites compressa, also known as Finger coral or Hump coral, is a species of marine stony coral in the family Poritidae.[2] It is found growing on coral reefs and in shallow lagoons in tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Porites compressa is generally pale brown or grey. In shallow water it resembles a knobbly boulder but in deeper water it is more columnar. The branches are cylindrical and often fuse together.[3][4] The growth rate is slow but it often grows into large colonies which may be up to 1000 years old.[5] It is a zooxanthellate coral, having symbiotic unicellular zooxanthellae in the tissues which provide it with energy.[2]