Thick finger coral
Species of coral
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Porites duerdeni, also called thick or knobby finger coral, is a coral in the family Poritidae, representing stoney corals, and is endemic to Hawai'i.[2]
| Thick finger coral | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Poritidae |
| Genus: | Porites |
| Species: | P. duerdeni |
| Binomial name | |
| Porites duerdeni | |
Distribution and habitat
Porites duerdeni is an extremely rare species of colonial reef building finger coral found almost exclusively in Kāne‘ohe Bay, O’ahu.[3] It can be most abundantly found in shallow waters typically ranging from depths of 3–6 ft [4] but can also be found at greater depths that still receive significant sunlight.
Description
Growth
Porites duerdeni growth averages 1–2 cm a year.[6]
Conservation
Porites duerdeni faced severe impacts due to bleaching events in 2015 and 2016, however a small team from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources has been working to curb extinction by planting nursery grown P. duerdeni on the reefs of Kāne‘ohe Bay, O’ahu.[7] Porites duerdeni is much more susceptible to coral bleaching than common and dominate corals found in Hawai'i.[8]
.jpeg)